Moments: Return of the Jedi
by Srellet
Summary: The missing moments in between the scenes of Return of the Jedi. Han/Luke/Leia
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE:

Instead of meeting in the command room with the round table, Princess Leia sat at the rectangle table in a smaller meeting room. She knew Mon Montha's strategy was to intimidate, put her in a position that made her feel less than her colleagues, and though she was the youngest member of the High command, the princess refused to fall prey to the older woman's tactics. Across from her sat the members of the High Command on Home One: Mon Montha, General Dodonna, and Admiral Akbar. Although Leia, too, was a member of the High Command, used to debating tactics, planning battle strategies, and delegating tasks for the good of the Alliance, her agenda today strayed far from the demands and decisions required by the High Command.

Mon Montha, with her hands folded regally on the table, looked down her nose at the princess and frowned. General Dodonna pulled on his beard and kept his eyes from the princess. It was hard to read Admiral Akbar's large eyes traveled around the room and settled on Leia, but his aquatic features were hard to read, though she doubted he felt any different than his colleagues. Leia felt like a child sitting there in front of these members of the High Command instead of one of their peers as she had been since her father perished on Alderaan. And perhaps her decision was interpreted as childish and selfish by her peers, but their disapproval and reprimands would not affect her decision.

"I'm taking a leave of absence." A statement, not a question. The princess lifted her chin and pressed her lips together.

Mon Montha exchanged looks with Admiral Akbar. "You have obligations to this Alliance," Mon Montha reminded her. "What about your commitment to our cause?"

Leia's large brown eyes glanced at Akbar and then met Mon Montha's steely blue eyes. "That commitment has not changed."

"This is a crucial time for the Alliance," Dodonna pointed out.

"Your timing *suck* couldn't be *suck* worse," Admiral Akbar added.

"You were trained for this all your life, and now you want to abandon the Alliance when we have the opportunity to go on the offensive against the Empire? It may be are only chance to end this war. You've been an integral asset to the Rebellion." Mon Month placed his hands on the table with fingers spread wide and leaned forward to emphasize her point. "What would your father think?"

Leia's breath caught in her throat, and she narrowed her eyes at the woman. Then in her mind, she could see the firm look on the face of the man who spent time with her as a child, General Carlist Reikken's. She heard his words from her childhood, C _ontrol your temper, Leilila._ The princess released her breath. "My father would never leave a man behind in battle."

"Yes," Dodonna agreed. "But Han Solo wasn't lost in a battle. His past just caught up to him."

Leia's cheeks flushed red, "And that wouldn't have happened if Captain Solo didn't risk his life to get me off of Hoth."

"He was *suck* never a member *suck* of the Alliance," Akbar pointed out.

Leia inhaled and exhaled before speaking, "But he spent three years serving this Alliance risking his life on dangerous missions for _you_." _Even though he believed the rebellion was doomed_ , Leia kept that thought to herself. "Maybe he never officially joined, but for all he's done for us, he deserves our help."

Mon Montha looked at Dodonna and then turned her eyes on Admiral Akbar.

"We should be sending troops to free him from Jabba the Hutt," Leia added.

Mon Montha pressed her lips together. "We've already had this discussion when Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian return with the news of Captain Solo's whereabouts." She sighed. "We don't have the man power."

"And that's why I have to go."

"You, Calrissian, and Chewbacca, are no match for a warlord," Dodonna pointed out. "It's a suicide mission."

The princess looked down at her folded hands resting on the table. Her knuckles were white. "Captain Solo thought the same thing when we attacked the first Death Star yet he came back and helped Luke destroy it."

"I assume Commander Skywalker is with them." Mon Montha raised an eyebrow, "that that's why he went AWOL."

Leia raised her eyes and said nothing. Maybe she should have gone AWOL as well.

"Our only Jedi," Mon Month shook her head. "He was needed here and he just leaves us."

"He'll return," Leia said, "just as I promise to do."

"The fleet will *suck* be amassing in Sullust. The attack *suck* on the Emperor's new battle station *suck* will commence soon once the *suck* Alliance has amassed at Sullust."

Leia looked down at the table. "I know." The princess then looked up at Akbar. "Once we recover Captain Solo, I will return and fulfill my duties."

"What if you fail?" Dodonna asked.

Anxiety pounded against Leia's ribs. "We can't fail," she quietly said though she didn't mean to say it out loud.

"It's a possibility," Dodonna's voice was as quiet as Leia's, and sympathy colored his words.

"Your decision is clouded by your emotions," Mon Montha accused. "You've never let your emotions get affect your decisions, not even after Alderaan."

A silence fell over the room at the mention of Alderaan. The princess never stopped to mourn the loss of her world when she returned to Yavin. She took on missions, tired herself out on the bases between Hoth and on Hoth. She had controlled her emotions; she was afraid she would break if she didn't. Then Han didn't give her a choice on their trip to Cloud City. He had helped her grieve and opened her heart.

"You've *suck* lost your perspective, Your Highness."

"There are consequences to your actions." Mon Montha's steely blue eyes stared into Leia's.

"All actions have consequences." Leia lifted her chin.

"You will no longer be a part of the High Command."

"I know." Leia's large brown eyes met Dodonna.

Looks of shock and surprise spread across the High Command's faces. Mon Montha showed no emotion.

"You can't change my mind." Leia stood up. "I am going to rescue Captain Solo even if it costs me my life."


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1:

Tatooine. The place where Luke Skywalker had grown up, where he toiled on his uncle's moisture farm. Where the two people, his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen Lars who loved and raised him, died because of the Empire. Because of him.

 _There's nothing left for me here,_ Luke told Ben Kenobi, and here he was back on Tatooine. The last place he ever thought he'd step foot on.

Luke lay next to Leia in the bed that once belonged to Obi Wan Kenobi. They had taken shelter in the late Jedi's abode because Luke couldn't bear to return to the moisture farm where he grew up. Han Solo's beloved ship, the _Millennium Falcon,_ sat just a few meters away and was more comfortable than the Kenobi's home. But for Leia, it was too painful to sleep in Han's beloved ship without him. When Chewbacca came to take her to Tatooine, Leia would occasionally lie in Han's bed and cry into his pillow, but she chose to sleep in the crew's quarters where Chewie's hammock hung. And now that they were staying at Obi Wan's deserted home, she chose to share the only bed with Luke. With no room for the large Wookie, Chewbacca chose to stay on the _Falcon,_ fixing things he already fixed and sleeping in his hammock aboard the ship

Leia lay with her back to Luke, waking through the night as her dreams of Darth Vader, Han and their escape from Hoth, his horrid fate, and Alderaan interrupted her sleep. The cruelest dream that plagued her was those that were of her time on the _Falcon_ while they traveled to Bespin when Han would awake her with a kiss on her forehead. Every time she had that dream, she'd open her large brown eyes only to find that he wasn't there with her, and she would feel sick to her stomach. Her fitful sleep left her tired the next day, making it hard to focus.

Luke lay there in the bed on his back—his upper arm touching Leia's back—unable to sleep. He stared at the sand-smooth ceiling looking for images in the imperfections and dents. Although he couldn't see Leia's dreams, he could feel her pain, anxiety, guilt, and disappointment. He wanted to tell her everything would work out the way he planned, that they'd rescue Han, and return to the Alliance unscathed. And he would have told her such things months ago before he faced Darth Vader. Everything had changed; he had changed. Leia had changed. Luke used to believe Good always triumphed over Evil, but now he knew the world didn't work that way. When he faced Vader, newly-trained Jedi thought he'd defeat the Dark Lord because Luke stood for Light and all that was right in the galaxy. He couldn't lose; he wasn't supposed to lose. But he overestimated his control over the Force, and underestimated the Vader's command of the Dark Side of the Force. Luke opened and closed the mechanical hand that replaced his own, the one that Vader cut off with his glowing red light saber. And Luke lost that battle and almost his life, would have if it wasn't for Leia.

And Vader's words came to mind. _I am your father._

Luke shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Leia asked as she twisted around to pull the covers over Luke and then curled back into a ball still facing the wall.

Darth Vader's claim of being Luke's father burned him cold inside. Was it true? It couldn't be true. His father fought for the Old Republic, died as a great Jedi. Vader could have lied to trick Luke into joining him on the Dark Side and ruling the galaxy… _as father and son_. Luke closed his large blue eyes; he didn't want to believe that he could be the offspring of such a monster. He clung to the possibility that it was all just a lie, but deep down, beneath lies that he told himself, Luke knew Vader's words were true.

Luke glanced at Leia's back, wanting to embrace her, find comfort in her arms. How would she react if she knew the he was the offspring of the most evil monster in the galaxy? Would she be repulsed by him? Would she hold Vader's actions, how the Dark Lord tortured her and took Han away from her against Luke?

No, Leia would not hold anything him, but Luke feared she would be repulsed by him, maybe even be afraid of him. If Luke _was_ Darth Vader's son, then the possibility that Luke would follow in his father's footsteps.

Skywalker resisted the urge to stroke her hair, to ask forgiveness for Vader's sins, if the Dark Lord was, indeed, young Jedi's father. He wanted to ask for her forgiveness for his own sins.

 _If you leave now, help them you could but you'll destroy all for which they fought for and suffered,_ Yoda had told Luke after the terrifying vision of Han and Leia. But certain Leia and Han. He _had_ to come to their rescue; nothing was going to stop him.

And Luke did go to their aid, and Han and Leia didn't die, but Luke didn't rescue them; Leia had to come to _his_ rescue. And like Yoda predicted, Han and Leia were suffered torture for no other reason than to lure Luke into Vader's trap. Han had fought to open Leia's heart, and when he finally did, he lost her when he was frozen in carbonite. And Han was one more person Leia had loved that he Empire took away. She lost her position in the Alliance, once the most important thing to her, to rescue Han. Both Han and Leia _had_ lost everything for which they fought and suffered. Because of Luke's rash, selfish, obstinate behavior.

Luke's heart was filled with guilt. He had to make it up to them all. He had to rescue Han.

Unable to sleep again, Luke sat up in the bed and pushed the covers off of him. Leia didn't move, which meant she must have fallen back to sleep. He looked at her, curled up into a ball hugging herself. Luke pressed his lips together and pulled the covers over her.

Luke entered the common room/kitchen. There he found Chewbacca making kaffe. The Wookie greeted him and handed Luke a steaming mug.

"Mornin'." Luke took the mug and sat down at the table. "Thanks." He held up his mug. "I needed this."

Chewie ruraffed.

"No." Luke looked at the inanimate droids across the room. "I kinda like the peace."

The Wookie gurred.

"She's still asleep. She had a hard night."

The Wookie cooed.

Right before Han was frozen in carbonite, Han told Chewbacca that he needed to take care of the princess, and that was something the Wookie took to heart. He cooked meals for her to make sure she ate and Leia couldn't refuse his kindness. Chewie kept an eye on her even when she wanted to be alone and was hiding out from the High Command, and many times Han's best friend sat with her to share their mutual grief. Although Leia was used to isolating herself when she needed to let out her emotions and resented the Wookie presence (who only reminded her of Han) in the beginning, she had gotten used to Chewbacca's company and became quite attached to him. He wasn't just Han's friend anymore; Chewie was truly hers. When he wasn't around—for he was mourning too—she sought him out on the _Falcon_ so he wouldn't be alone in his grief. In silence, Leia began keeping him company and would help the Wookie repair the _Falcon_ , inside and out, and had come to know the ship almost as well as the Chewie.

When the princess first returned to the Alliance, the High Command gave her some space to mourn. They allowed her to spend time with the Wookie, repair the dilapidated ship that saved her and Commander Skywalker's lives. However, the High Command was losing patience and pressured her to return to her duties. Chewbacca once confronted Dodonna, scaring the wits out of him. Leia knew she had to return to her duties, and she did, but it only made her heart heavy. The princess felt that she should be off rescuing Han.

When Chewbacca returned to Home One and told Luke and Leia that they found Han, the princess expected to leave right away to rescue Han. But Luke said the time wasn't right, that they had to prepare to face Jabba the Hutt, a warlord Leia underestimated. Of course, after being tortured by Darth Vader, Skywalker could understand her belief that Jabba could easily be defeated. Luke had visions of successfully facing Jabba the Hutt, but as Yoda put it, _always in motion is the future._ The young Jedi couldn't predict the outcome. He only knew that the time wasn't right just yet.

Luke put his hand on Chewie's arm, and walked out of Kenobi's home. The first sun of the desert planet touched the horizon, coloring it a beautiful array of purples and pinks. The sun hadn't driven away the cold night completely, and a cool breeze rustled Luke's hair. Soon the sun would rise higher, and the second sun would follow, chasing the beauty of the morning. Luke inhaled and cherished the only pleasure he got from this god-forsaken planet.

The night was a fitful one, and Leia lay awake most of the night. When she finally fell asleep, she awoke thinking Han was the one making kaffe in the galley of the _Falcon_. When reality set in, and she realized she wasn't on the _Falcon_ , and Han was still trapped in carbonite, that she was still in Obi Wan's abode waiting for the right time to rescue him. Her heart sank into her stomach.

But Han now wasn't far away across the galaxy anymore. He was merely miles away from her, which brought her a sliver of comfort. But she had already been on Tatooine for three standard weeks, and they had not done anything to rescue him. The more they waited the more Han was probably suffering. Did Jabba the Hutt release him from the carbonite? Did he torture him, make Han suffer for not paying off his debt, a debt he had not paid because he was busy getting her off of Hoth? How could Luke wait knowing terrible things Han might be going through?

 _Patience._ Luke had told her. _The time will soon come._

The princess was irritated with Luke. She didn't understand why they were waiting, or why Skywalker was unwillingness to rush into things. Patience was never Luke's strong point before. He always rushed into any situation, damn the consequences. But something had changed about him after Bespin, and sometimes she didn't recognize him.

On Home One and here on Tatooine, Luke spent a lot of time alone, meditating, practicing with his light saber, physically training his body, and doing things like levitating objects, things she always thought impossible. Sometimes, when she needed a distraction, she would invade his privacy and watch him train. She even on occasion sparred with him using light metal sticks instead if light sabers, though she didn't come near possessing the skills Luke had. He humored her, let her win on occasion. She also physically trained with him to rid herself of her frustrations with the High Command. What Luke was able to do, well, Leia would have thought it impossible if she hadn't seen it herself. But the Force was with him, and Luke's control of it was improving every day. Luke had reached his goal; he was a Jedi without a light saber since his was lost in his battle with Darth Vader. But from the way things looked to Leia, Luke didn't need the ancient weapon.

The young Jedi seemed ready to take on the Emperor himself; surely he could take on Jabba the Hutt. Jabba was a lowly warlord without the Force. It was difficult for Leia to remain patient, though she had always been the patient one, the one to think before jumping into anything (something she regretted when it came to Han). Luke had taken on her characteristics, and she had taken on his. She closed her large brown eyes to hold in the tears.

Sensing she was awake, Chewbacca entered the room and cooed. Leia rubbed her eyes as if she was just removing the crust from sleep to hide any remnants of the tears she held behind her eyelids. She knew she wasn't fooling the Wookie, but he always pretended not to notice her tears.

Leia yawned, and Chewbacca shared an involuntary sympathy yawn. He inquired about her sleep.

"Good."

He tilted his head and cooed again.

She looked down. "I woke thinking Han was here," she whispered.

The Wookie brayed.

"I know. But sitting around waiting is getting to be too hard."

Chewie sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The princess leaned into him and slipped her arms around his furry chest. "These three weeks make it six months for Han."

Her friend grunted and gurawfed.

"I'm tired of waiting," she stated. "I'm afraid he's suffering."

Chewbacca said nothing, and Leia knew he was thinking the same thing. Then the Wookie spoke to her and she looked up at him.

"Lando was successful in infiltrating Jabba's palace?" Leia repeated. "We're going to rescue Han," she breathed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke entered the work shed off the main house and went to the trunk in the middle of the room. He knelt down beside it, ran his hand along the smooth wooden top, and opened it. Inside laid a light saber, one that Luke built with his own hands using the items he found in the trunk. It was as if Ben left this trunk for Luke, as if he knew Luke would one day come back here and need to build a light saber.

Or maybe these were relics, talismans that Ben had saved over the years.

He stood up, ignited his new light saber, and studied the glowing green blade. The saber buzzed with life as he slowly cut the air with it. It was best he lost his father's light saber. After what Vader revealed, he couldn't have wielded that weapon without thinking of that monster. Or becoming just like him. His father, a monster, was not an honorable Jedi like Ben had told him. _Anger, the Dark Side._ He swallowed down his ire he felt over Ben's lie.

 _Anger, fear, aggression. The Dark Side are these._

Luke had to wonder about his fate. If his father turned to the Dark Side, would he? After all, the young Jedi's blood came from whatever blood was left that mechanical…man. Luke closed his large blue eyes and inhaled slowly then expelled his breath in the same slow manner. The High Command believed in his Jedi abilities. The rebels knew him as a good-hearted Jedi. Chewbacca had faith in him. Leia knew his heart. Could she see any darkness there?

Luke _had_ learned to control his aggression, had mastered controlling his emotions, but underneath it all he feared his anger. If he couldn't control that, he'd lose himself to the Dark Side.

A series of beeps came from the doorway. Luke looked over his shoulder and deactivated the light saber.

"Artoo, good morning."

The astromech droid greeted Luke in another series of beeps.

"Where's Threepio?" he asked though he knew he wouldn't understand Artoo's answer. On Dagobath, Artoo had become Skywalker's confidant and his companion in his loneliness. It was hard to see the droid as anything other than a friend.

"Come here," Luke commanded and the droid obeyed.

Luke pressed his hand against one of Artoo's blue panels, and it popped open. Luke put his light saber into it. "You'll know when I'll need this." Artoo closed the panel, and Luke stood up. "You and Threepio will bring a message to Jabba."

The Jedi took a step back and commanded Artoo to record his message for the warlord.

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There was something that Luke was hiding; Leia was certain of it. Did he doubt himself? Did he fear that they would release Han from carbonite (if he was still frozen in carbonite) or a horrid prison only to find Han dead? She shuddered at the thought.

No, it was something else, something bigger than this mission, though at the moment she couldn't think of anything bigger and more important than rescuing Han. Luke had been hiding something from her since they rescued him from that antenna under Cloud City. At first she thought it was because of his injuries or battling Vader. He seemed delusional when he entered the cockpit during their escape. Leia had grown closer to Luke over the last six months. Since they returned to the Alliance, they had spent a lot of time together. They were almost inseparable.

Leia still fulfilled her duties of the High Command, but she didn't throw herself into her work like she did after the destruction of Alderaan. She was often overwhelmed by her grief and distracted. But being with Chewie, being with Luke comforted her, made her pain lessen, and joining Luke during his training sessions kept her mind off Han for a short time.

Leia pulled out of Chewbacca's embrace, yawned again as she stretched her arms in the air, and stood up. She followed Chewie to the kitchen/common room.

"Good morning, Your Highness." Threepio's shrill voice made Leia cringe. "I hope you slept well."

Leia smiled at the droid. "Good morning." Then she pressed his deactivation button. "I can't take his cheeriness this morning."

Chewbacca laughed.

"I can't believe we're finally rescuing Han." Leia sat down at the table with the steaming mug in her hand.

Chewbacca gave her more information.

Her brow furrowed and took a sip of her mug. "So Lando infiltrated Jabba's lair three months ago."

Chewie harrawed.

"Yeah, I guess it's taken time for him to gain the trust of Jabba and whoever else." Leia shook her. Three months to find him. Three months to infiltrate the palace. That's a long time for Han."

The Wookie agreed and brayed.

"He's still frozen in carbonite?" Leia's heart jumped to her throat. Six months in suspension. But if Lando was right, Han was in perfect hibernation and Jabba couldn't torture him.

Luke walked into Ben's home followed by R2-D2. "Hey, Leia."

Leia narrowed her large brown eyes on him.

Luke looked to Chewbacca. He grumbled and shrugged. Luke said, "The news came late. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you."

"I think news like that warranted you waking me."

Chewie growled and through up his hands.

"Yeah," Leia turned her large brown eyes on the Wookie. "Go work on that bucket of bolts when you don't like the conversation."

Chewie mumbled something, made an obscene gesture, and headed out the door.

"Same to you," Leia muttered. She then addressed Luke, "You should've woken me."

"I tried."

"Not hard enough."

"You just haven't had a lot of sleep lately…"

Leia pursed her lips. "Let me decide what's good for me."

Luke held up his hands. "It won't happen again."

"Yes, it will," she quietly said. She looked away from him, wondering what else he was keeping from her. The princess sipped from her mug. "I have a problem with your plan, Luke."

"What?"

"If I act like I'm collecting a bounty on Chewie, he's going to end up locked up, and we'll have to rescue him after we rescue Han."

"Your only job is to get Han out of the carbonite." Luke sat down across from her and took her hand. "I'll take care of the rest."

Leia looked down at his hand on hers. _Luke is a Jedi now_ , she reminded herself. She had seen what he was capable of doing, but what if something goes wrong?

"The ruse will get you inside too." Luke tilted his head to look into her large brown eyes. "Everything needs to fall in place. It's pertinent _we all_ do our part. This is the best way of getting Han back."

"Chewie can't do anything if he's behind bars." She gazed into Luke's eyes, and quietly said, "What if they torture him?"

"They won't have time."

"You sound so sure of yourself," she pressed her lips together, "but I know you're not as confident as you sound."

"I can't predict the future." Luke closed his fingers around hers. "Of course I'm afraid." _Fear, the Dark Side._ "I can't say I have my doubts, but I do have a good feeling about this."

Leia's right side of her lip lifted into a smile, one that reminded Luke of Han. "It's better than a bad feeling."

Luke smile in return. It was good to see her smile. He rose from the table, put his mug in the sink, and walked over to Threepio. Luke glanced at Leia, and she sunk in her seat and lifted her mug to her mouth.

"A little too early for him?"

"A little to cheery."

Luke smiled again as he remembered Han's aversion to the talkative droid. Then he activated the inanimate Threepio.

"Oh, good morning, Master Luke." Threepio came to life. "Please don't shut me off again."

Artoo sputtered a few beeps.

"Oh, shut up, you sorry excuse of a droid," the protocol droid's voice was harsh.

Luke ignored their interaction. "I have an important mission for you."

"An important mission? I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Luke patted the Threepio's shoulder. "Artoo has recorded a message for Jabba the Hutt from me. You and Artoo will deliver it to him."

"Jabba the Hutt?"

"I know you won't fail me," Luke gave the droid a meaningful look.

"O-of course not, Master Luke."

Luke and Threepio stood up, and Luke patted Artoo on the head. "You should be on your way."

"Yes, Master Luke. Good-bye and good-bye to you, Your Highness."

Artoo expelled a series of excited beats as they parted ways with Luke and Leia.

"Excited?" Threepio through his arms in the air. "Remember what happened the last time you had to deliver a message?"

.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2:

Darth Vader walked down the isle of storm troopers and Imperial officers who stood straight at attention, mostly out of fear. The Commander that the Emperor put in charge to oversee the construction of the Death Star stammered as he greeted the Dark Lord. When Vader continued to stroll down the aisle, the Commander, followed, his voice trembling as he gave excuses for the lack of progress of construction. Vader hated nothing more than excuses, and he basically tuned the stumbling man out. Why the Emperor chose such a weak man to be in charge of the Empire's largest project since the construction of the first Death Star—especially after the demise of the first—Vader didn't understand.

Too much faith was put into that first Death Star, as Vader warned Grand Mott Tarkin. Too much faith was being put into this second Death star as well, and it was even more vulnerable because it wasn't completed. Why another Death Star anyway? Why was the Emperor repeating the past? The Emperor kept Vader in the dark, only sharing ambiguous visions and pieces of plans that the Emperor dreamt up to defeat the rebels once and for all. Palpatine expected the Dark Lord to blindly obey his commands, as Vader did when he was still Anakin Skywalker.

However, Vader knew the Emperor was becoming starting to distrust him; it was the way of the Sith. Only two Sith could exist: a Master and an Apprentice. Vader was becoming too powerful to be just an apprentice, and the Emperor knew—felt—his apprentice's ire and dissatisfaction, his restlessness. Underneath his black armor which kept him alive, Vader was still Anakin Skywalker, impulsive and selfish. And as it was the way of the Sith, the apprentice would one day kill the Master and take his place. This was inevitable. And Vader felt his Master becoming weak.

Just look at the second Death Star. This space station was in a weaker state than the first since it had not been completed. If the rebels found out that the Death Star station was still under construction, they could easily exploit that. The second one will be flawed just as the first Death Star proved to be flawed. That first space station was easily destroyed by a proton torpedo, no less, from an X-Wing fired by a boy—his son—who was strong in the Force, as Vader was when he a child. He recalled Qui Gon Jinn testing his blood, when he was still Anakin just ten years old and a slave working for Watto. Qui Gon was looking for mitochondrials, and Anakin's mitochondrial count was the highest the Jedi ever saw. Anakin was special; Anakin was the _Chosen One_.

 _Chosen for what?_ Darth Vader had to wonder. He more than helped destroy the Jedi. He struck down the youngest padwans—just children they were, but any being possessing the Force was a danger to the New Order—and he struck these young ones down with the hate in his cold heart. And he hated his former Master and closest friend, Obi Wan Kenobi, whom Anakin/Darth Vader tried to kill, only to lose. It was Obi Wan who had turned Anakin into his present condition trapped in this mechanical monstrosity after his former Master left his to be burnt up by the lava on Mustafar. But Vader/Anakin finally won when he killed Kenobi in a light saber battle on the first Death Star.

 _You can't with, Darth. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine._ Obi Wan's final words to Darth Vader; words that continued to haunt him just as much as how Kenobi allowed Vader to strike him down that day.

It didn't matter anymore. Anakin Skywalker was dead now, but Chancellor Palpatine—now the Emperor—gave him new life. His metamorphism into his new menacing being, more machine than man, and Vader's full embrace the Dark Side made him even more powerful than he was as the Jedi Anakin. Darth Vader still had life, and he still had the ire and aggression that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker. It was a fact, Darth Vader would not exist if it wasn't for the Emperor's genius and generosity. And Darth Vader resented the Emperor for that.

The Emperor lied to him, just like he lied to the Jedi. Chancellor Palpatine told Anakin that he knew the secrets of preventing death. Visions of Padme dying, plagued Anakin, and he wanted nothing more than to save her. He couldn't live without her. In the end, it was Anakin/Vader who killed his beloved wife out of anger and jealousy, believing Kenobi turned his beloved against him. And the Emperor never taught him how to prevent that.

But Padme lived long enough to bear Anakin's/Vader's child, a child that Obi Wan had hid from him. He would kill that old Jedi again if he could.

 _I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine._

Just as he did with Padme, Obi Wan Kenobi turned Vader's son against him. Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader's son, was strong in the Force like his father, maybe even stronger than Vader was himself. Obi Wan could influence the boy no more. Or could he? A chill ran down Vader's spine. It was not possible, but something whispered of the possibility in the back of the Dark Lord's mind.

The Commander babbled on and Vader returned his attention to the fearful man as he walked down the aisle on the half-constructed Death Star. If he could, Vader would use the Force to lift this measly excuse of an Imperial Commander in the air and choke him to death. That certainly would put a fire under the men constructing the Death Star. But the Emperor would not take kindly to the death of the Commander. This Commander was already the fourth one chosen for this job; Vader had used the previous three as examples to incite fear in those constructing the space station. It contributed to the slow progress of its construction, and perhaps that was why the Emperor was coming to oversee the construction himself.

"Perhaps you can tell him when he arrives."

"The Emperor's coming here?" the Commander's voice rose in pitch and he stopped in his tracks.

"That is correct, Commander, and he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.

"We shall double our efforts."

"I hope so, Commander, for your sake." Vader threatened. "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."

Darth Vader's black cape whirled around his form as he sharply turned and continued on to his quarters. There were more important things on the Dark Lord's mind that had nothing to do with partially constructed space stations. He thought of only one thing: Luke Skywalker.

As the Dark Lord walked the corridor, storm troopers and Imperial grunts snapped to attention. He ignored them. Instead, Vader's mind was preoccupied with the battle between him and his son on Bespin. He replayed it like a holovid, freezing each frame for a moment as the images passed. Like Darth Vader was as the child Anakin, Luke Skywalker was strong in the Force. He also sensed the boy's yearning for adventure, his impulsiveness, just like his father before him. Someone had given Luke some training, but from whom did he receive this training? From Obi Wan Kenobi, the man who trained Vader when he was still Anakin?

What was left of the Dark Lord's blood boiled at the thought of Kenobi training Vader's son. Obi Wan's greatest betrayal was hiding Vader's son from him. Kenobi had to be the one to pass Vader's light saber on to Luke. He had to be the one to train his son in the ways of the Force. The Dark Lord recognized some of Kenobi's technique as Vader battled Luke.

But it wasn't just Obi Wan who had shown Luke the ways of the Force. It was obvious someone else had a hand in Luke's training; there was a distinctive style to the boy's skills, reminding him of yet another Jedi Master…but that would be impossible. The Emperor had killed that old Jedi.

But the boy clearly lacked full control of the Force and of his emotions; his training was incomplete. Luke Skywalker would not become a Jedi, and the Sith will have prevailed.

During their light saber battle, Luke was wild, prideful, and undisciplined, though he put up a good fight. Imagine how powerful the boy would be when Luke received proper training in the ways of the Sith. Darth Vader would complete the boy's training; he would teach his son to harness his fear, aggression, and anger. He would show the boy how powerful he would become when he embraced the Dark Side.

Vader entered his sphere-like chamber inside his quarters. The Emperor knew how powerful Luke Skywalker would one day be. The thought of the Emperor made his lip twitch. Soon the Emperor would betray him. Once Palpatine had his gnarly hands on Luke, he would turn Luke against Vader by tapping into the boy's anger and pit him against Vader until one of them was dead. If Darth Vader killed his son, then he will have proven that he was still worthy of being the Emperor's right hand man. If Luke defeated Vader, he would become the Emperor's apprentice. And Luke could possibly win. As the Emperor aged, he had started to look at Vader as a threat; and the Emperor was right. As soon as he felt his son presence, he began plotting to displace the Emperor and rule the galaxy with his son.

All in good time….

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The suns relentlessly beat down on Princess Leia and Chewbacca. After leaving their speeder a distance away from their destination, they walked sided by side, the Wookie taking smaller strides so that the princess didn't have to expend extra energy to keep up with him. Chewbacca, with his hands bound together by stun cuffs, pulled on the metal ring around his neck. Leia had made it as loose as possible, but she still had to make it look like Chewie was _her_ prisoner. A chain long enough for her to hold her "captive" was connected to the metal ring around his neck and hung freely down his chest.

Beside the Wookie, the princess pulled at the collar of her bounty hunter suit as sweat collected along her hairline and slid down her face. Under her arm she held a uniquely shaped helmet with the voice distorter that would hide her true identity. She felt uncertain, afraid that their plan wouldn't work. Han was counting on them; he had to know that he wouldn't be abandoned by his friends, by her.

 _I love you._

 _I know._

Would he remember her confession? Would he remember their forty day trip from Hoth to Cloud City? Would his mind be in tact? Or would he succumb to the insanity from being frozen in carbonite? As he was about to be lowered into the carbonite chamber, Han feigned courage and seemed to accept his fate. But Leia felt his fear, and she could do nothing about it. Her stomach turned as she remembered Han's last moments, how he kept his hazel eyes on her as he was lowered into the chamber. She inhaled sharply.

Grarrr?

"Nothing."

Chewie didn't say anything. Most likely his thoughts were on Han too.

"I'm not sure what's worst," Leia complained just to break her train of thought, "freezing on Hoth or the constant heat from the double suns."

Chewbacca garrawfed.

"Of course you'd pick Hoth. You have a fur coat." She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her arm. "I don't think I was ever able to warm get there."

Chewie harroofed.

"Yeah, it is a disadvantage having a fur coat on Tatooine." The princess stopped and looked up at her companion. "Being back on Tatooine….does it make you think of… when you—"

The Wookie grumbled.

"Han," Leia corrected herself, "decided to transport Luke and Obi Wan to Alderaan?"

He brayed and garooed.

Quietly, she asked, "Do you regret that day?"

Chewbacca patted her head with his bound hands and softly spoke to her.

"Transporting Luke, rescuing me, everything after…it all brought you and Han so much trouble."

The Wookie shook his head and rourffed as he stroked her hair.

"I wonder if Han regrets—"

Chewbacca cut her off with a firm guraw. Leia looked up at him and smiled. Then she turned her attention to the large palace that lay about a half mile away. Leia slipped on the helmet that would disguise her identity and took hold of the chain around Chewbacca's neck. They walked the half a mile in silence. Her heart beat hard against her chest and her stomach fluttered with chilicflies. Leia had to focus on their mission, but being this close to Han's location, it was hard not to think of him. If—when they freed Solo, would he be the same man she fell in love with? Could his feelings about her have changed? She almost couldn't breathe.

Chewie brayed.

"I'm fine," Leia lied. "The heat is making it hard to breathe."

It wasn't long before they reached the palace door. It was wide and tall and dwarfed the diminutive princess and the large Wookie. They stood there for a moment, taking in the sight. It was meant to exhibit Jabba's power and riches and intimidate his enemies. Leia couldn't say that it didn't work. She touched the permametal with her gloved hand, and the heat seeped through the thick material covering her hand. Leia bit her lip. This day had finally come, and she'd finally see Han again. And though she felt she was ready for it—she had been ready for the last six months—she couldn't deny the uneasiness in her chest. She had never seen Jabba, nor been in his palace as Chewbacca had, and she felt at a disadvantage. Chewie drew out a map from his memory in the sand, though his memory was almost four years old. He told her what to expect, but she had a feeling that it would be far worse than what the Wookie explained to her. According to Lando, Han was hanging in an antechamber off of the main audience chamber where Jabba lounged surrounded by lackeys and bounty hunters and anyone else that found entertaining. Leia, now completely disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh, looked up at Chewbacca. He gave her a nod, and she wielded the Force pike that once belonged to the real Boushh. The princess slammed the pike against the permasteel. The TT-8l/Y7 sentient droid immediately popped out of a hole in the door, screeching and blinking his eye several times.

In Ubese, the language spoken by the original Boushh—her voice metallic and monotone—Princess Leia demanded that the droid open the huge door. When the TT-8L/Y7 refused, she held up the Force stick and prepared to slam it against the droid itself. The eye droid cursed the princess and retracted into the hole in the door from which he came. Leia exchanged a look with Chewie. She gritted her teeth and pulled back the Force staff, preparing to use all her might, but before she had to use it, the thick permametal door creaked as it rose up.

Leia and Chewbacca walked under the door and took a few steps inside. They glanced at the door that they just passed through. As it was lowered, it was as thick as a Goolupif. The door creaked and slammed shut, shaking the ground. Leia realized that the overly thick door not only deterred enemies but held out the heat. The palace was cool inside and would have been refreshing if it weren't for the foul stench that permeated through the rounded corridor.

As they walked deeper into the palace, they were met by four Gamorrean guards, their boar-like teeth dripping with saliva. The princess had to wonder if they ate any intruders that got past the security TT-8/Y7 droid. Leia prominently displayed the Force pike, and again, speaking Ubese, told the guards that she was her to collect a bounty on Han Solo's best friend, Chewbacca. She pulled on the chain around Chewie's neck to emphasize her intent. One guard stepped close in front of the princess, obviously to intimidate the small "bounty hunter", but she pulled out a small disc and held it in the palm of her hand. The other guards stepped back as she dropped it to the ground. Immediately Leia handed the Wookie a rag to cover his mouth and nose. The guards grabbed their necks and choked as they fell to the ground. The disc would not kill its intended targets, but they would be out long enough for Leia and Chewie to make it to the audience chamber.

It seemed odd that the rounded corridor was empty of other beings, and they made their way through the palace unimpeded. There were several lighted stairways that led to other parts of the palace that created a maze-like atmosphere. Chewbacca guided the princess through the corridors and stairwells. Leia concentrated on the route they took but was certain she'd never find her way out on her own. How would she get Han out of the palace if she couldn't remember the way? Han would have hibernation sickness, and she didn't know how bad it would be.

 _You only need to free Han from the carbonite,_ Luke had told her. _Leave the rest to me._

Luke held her hand and gazed into her large brown eyes, as he softly spoke those words to her. He was a changed Luke, calm and patient that hinted at a confidence he had lacked in the past. He had visions now, premonitions, though he couldn't see the future, he told her.

 _Always in motion is the future,_ Luke had said to her, words she suspected were once spoken to him. He had told her about his first vision, the one where he saw Han and Leia in danger in a city of clouds. That that was how Luke was able to find them. But he couldn't see the disastrous outcome of his actions. Even Master Yoda couldn't foresee the future.

Leia had accepted Luke's premonitions, though she didn't quite understand how giving Chewie to Jabba would help them free Han. She feared what would happen to her friend, and Luke couldn't guarantee the Wookie would be okay. Still, she trusted Luke and went along with his plan.

Chewie announced that Jabba's audience chamber lay ahead down a shallow stairwell to the right, but Leia figured out that on her own based on the loud cheering voices. She heard a female scream and froze. She looked at Chewbacca, but he told her she didn't want to know what that was about. Then organ-like music, voices speaking various languages, and laughter filled the air. It sounded crowded and rowdy, and Leia's chilicflies started up in her stomach. Chewbacca goraggled and the princess pulled out her blaster and fired it into the air. The audience chamber fell quiet. Leia started down the stairs with Chewbacca's chain in her hand. A bounty hunter, Doyallyn decided to be the hero and confront this new threat. Chewbacca backhanded him, and Doyallyn rolled down the stairs and was knocked unconscious.

No other bounty hunter or being tried to stop Leia as she led Chewbacca into the room. With her head held high and her royal confidence in play, she ignored the thugs and bounty hunters as she walked Chewie into the audience chamber. The princess stopped in front of the villainous Jabba the Hutt. Hidden behind the rectangular tinted visor, Leia narrowed her large brown eyes on the grotesque warlord and clenched her jaw. She gave the Hutt a small bow and greeted him in Ubese. Leia then informed Jabba that she had come to collect the bounty on Chewbacca.

"Oh, no! Chewbacca!" Threepio exclaimed, catching Leia's attention.

Although his face was inanimate, she could see the droid's misery in his posture and heard his fear in his voice. Luke left the protocol droid in the dark about his plans because he didn't want the droid to fret. Leia's lips stretched into a small closed-mouth smile. Luke failed; she had never seen Threepio more nervous than he was now. Her merriment faded, and keeping her head facing Jabba, she shifted her eyes, searching for Artoo and Lando. Leia doubted that she'd recognize Lando; he would be in disguise too.

With Threepio acting as a translator, Leia and Jabba negotiated the price for Chewbacca. When Jabba refused her fifty-thousand credit bounty, the princess pulled out a thermal detonator and activated it. While his audience shrunk and gasped, Jabba responded to her with laughter. He was quite impressed with her tactics. He offered her thirty-five thousand, and Leia deactivated the thermal detonator. She stepped forward as Chewbacca was dragged away. It took every ounce of her will power not to watch him go.

Bib Fortuna approached her and offered her quarters in the palace for the night. The knot in her throat loosened, and Leia accepted his offer. Now she was free to look around. Her eyes fell on Boba Fett standing against the wall, and a heat traveled from her toes to her head. The bounty hunter nodded at her in approval, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge him.

Leia turned away from him and began to wander the room, stopping now and then to mingle with Jabba's lackeys and other bounty hunters. They all complimented her on her negotiations and said they'd never have the courage to pull something like that on Jabba. She kept her replies short as she took inventory of the nooks, crannies, and lay out of the room. She kept moving; her goal was to find the anti-chamber.

And then she saw him, Han Solo still frozen in carbonite and hanging on the wall in the far end of the room like a piece of art.

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The revelry had died down in the Jabba the Hutt's lair, and many of Jabba's audience had retreated to their quarters or succumbed to their drunkenness and intoxication, passing out where they were. Leia followed Bib Fortuna to her quarters for the night. Boba Fett stood in the hallway leaning against the wall. He acknowledged her again with a nod as he watched her pass by. A chill ran down her spine. Bib Fortuna opened the door to the room lent to her, and Leia took one last look at Boba Fett who then retreated into his quarters. Leia thanked her host, and after the door closed behind her she began to pace the room biding her time. She didn't like the way Fett was eyeing her the whole night as if he knew something was odd about her. Did he know Boushh before the Ubese bounty hunter died? Did he know Boushh had died? Could he see through her disguise? If Boba Fett had, he obviously didn't reveal his knowledge to Jabba the Hutt. Leia wouldn't have gotten as far as she did if the bounty hunter ratted her out.

Now was the hard part. It wasn't freeing Han from the carbonite; her determination overrode her misgivings. It was the waiting for the right time. She took her helmet off, stretched out her neck to rid herself of the kinks that pinched her, and rolled her shoulders. It was a relief to have the helmet off, even briefly. How long would she have to wait to be sure no one else was awake?

When she could wait no longer, Princess Leia once again donned Boushh's helmet, and poked her head out the door. She half expected to find Boba Fett in the hallway, but he was nowhere to be seen. She walked the corridor with hurried steps, keeping her large brown eyes open for other beings that might be awake, but the helmet she wore made it difficult because it blocked most of her peripheral vision. Leia would not have believed the bounty hunter that once wore this armor was as good as he was if she hadn't heard it from Chewbacca. The humanoid Ubese species had anatomical differences from humans, and perhaps the visor served the original Boushh well.

Sliding her hand along the wall for balance, Leia made her way down the steps that led to into the audience chamber. She stepped off the last step and the top of her helmet came in contact with a wind chime that unleashed a spell of tinkles.

Leia froze, waiting for someone to wake up, some to grab her and pull her away when she was now just meters from Han Solo. But no one came, and the only sound she heard was the quiet snoring of the lowlifes in Jabba's palace. Her confidence grew as she crossed the audience chamber to the antechamber, taking steady but hurried steps. Han was so close, yet it felt as if he was miles away. When she finally made it to the alcove where Solo hung like an ornament— _Jabba would pay for this_ —Leia pressed her back to the wall next to the carbonite block, and once again, checked to see if someone had discovered her.

The princess expelled a sigh of relief when no one seemed to have woken up. Her heart sped up as she reached up and pressed the only button not lit up on the wall next to the carbonite block. It immediately glowed orange and the carbonite block that encased Han dropped off the wall with a loud clank that bounced off the walls of the antechamber. Leia caught her breath. That clank startled her; it had to have awakened those in the audience chamber.

Leia looked around, but to her surprise, no one stirred, and she heard no movement behind the curtains that separated her from Jabba the Hutt. She sighed then reached up to the control panel on the side of the carbonite block, twisted two knobs clockwise, and then took several steps back so that she was standing in front of the frozen form of Han. Leia held her breath waiting. Within seconds, the block came to life, emitting a whining whooshing noise. Someone had to hear that, but no one came to drag her away. A red light shot out of the melting areas of the carbonite, first revealing Han's face, the face she had long to see over the past six months. Han's mouth opened, and Leia's excitement and anticipation controlled her respiration as the rest of his body was revealed. Han Solo then curled into himself and fell face first to the floor without breaking his fall. He showed no sign of movement.

Leia froze; her heart now in her throat. _Please be alive. You can't die now. Please…._

The princess hurried over to him, leaned over Han, and listened for his breath. Nothing. _After all this time…_ She lifted his upper body off the ground, and Solo's breath came. It was ragged and fell into rhythm with his shivering. Leia had to blink back more tears and hold back her urge to laugh in relief. Leia helped him to a seated position. He leaned against her outstretched leg and she held her arm around him, though he didn't need her support. He was wet and shaking but alive. Leia wanted nothing more than to pull him to her, hold him, comfort him, and never let him go.

But there was no time for that. Leia pushed Luke's plan of just freeing Han from the carbonite out of her mind. No, she was going to get Han out of Jabba's palace herself.

However, Han seemed too lost, confused, and weak to make a hasty escape. Although Two-One-B, the medical droid on Home One, had educated her on hibernation sickness, Leia hadn't taken that into consideration when she made her plan to escape with Han. Wanting to reassure Han that he was relatively safe now, Leia touched her helmet and was about to take it off, but she remembered Luke's warning:

 _Whatever you do,_ don't _remove your disguise, especially your helmet. Keep yourself disguised. It'll save you._

In a metallic and monotone voice, Leia told Han, "Just relax for a moment. You're free of the carbonite."

Han raised his hand to his eyes and a look of panic was etched into his face. "I can't see," his voice sounded loud in the empty chamber.

"Shhh. You have hibernation sickness. Your eyesight will return in time."

"Where am I?"

"Jabba's palace."

Han's spine stiffened. The last he thing he remembered was Leia's fearful, sorrowful face, and the tears running down her cheeks, as he was lowered into the carbonite chamber in Cloud City on Bespin. How did he end up in Jabba's palace on Tatooine? And who was this being who freed him? It wasn't Boba Fett; Fett's voice was much lower and gravely, and Han figured it highly unlikely that the bounty hunter would do something kind for him. No, this person—most likely a bounty hunter—was someone else, someone he did not recognize. But why would a bounty hunter free him in Jabba's palace and risk Jabba's ruthless ire? Han reached up and felt the helmet of his savior. It was cold and unfamiliar to his hand.

"Who are you?"

 _Don't remove you helmet, Leia._

She could hear Luke's voice in her head. But Han was not going to trust her if she didn't, and she wanted to see Han not through the tinted visor of her helmet, but with her own eyes. She removed the helmet.

"Someone who loves you."

"Leia," Han expelled in a breath of relief and delight.

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Leia grabbed Han's face and ardently kissed him. She forced herself to break away from his lips.

"Come on," she helped him get to his feet. "I gotta get you out of here."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha."

"What's that?" Han asked, and he felt Leia stiffen. "I know that laugh."

Han began to bargain as two guards grabbed his arms, pulling him from Leia. All Leia could do was watch helplessly as the man she loved was taken from her once again.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3:

Lando Calrissian was an occasional smuggler and gambler who had a taste for the finer things of life. He wasn't just a gambler but a professional gambler, and his winnings bought him the great pleasures and luxuries in life. And it also brought him respect from his shady peers and from the relatively legitimate businessmen for whom he smuggled less-than-legal cargo. Land was charming and charmed. He lived a carefree and adventurous life that impressed the ladies, which were plentiful. It was rare that he didn't have some exotic beauty on his arm and a deal in the works. Everything he did, he did with finesse.

But this life that worked in and out of the shadows lost its appeal. He longed for something more. Maybe a female who wasn't with him because of his riches; maybe he wanted a relationship. Maybe he wanted to have a legitimate business and leave his life on the edge of crime behind.

Then he won a city in a Sabaac game, Cloud City, to be exact on the planet Bespin. The timing was right, and although Lando could have made so much more money with this asset in his pocket, he gave into his newly found yearnings and decided to keep the tibanna gas mining city's deed. He gave up his illegal dealings, made himself Baron of the city, and became a respectable man based on his legitimate status in life. He found it easy to fall into this new-found way of living, and grew comfortable in his new role. No longer did he have to watch his back or worry about some pirate or being he had screwed over to show up and kill him. No one would come looking for him here at Cloud City.

Until someone did. Han Solo showed up. The smuggler was the last person Lando expected to see after Solo and his girlfriend screwed him and some fellow smugglers at the Battle of Ylesia. Han's girlfriend, Bria Tharen, was a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a rebel commander, and with the help of Solo, they convinced Lando and some other smugglers to join the rebels at the Battle of Ylesia, enticing Lando and the smugglers with half of the spice they would commandeer if they won. And they did win, and Bria and the rebels kept all the spice, giving Lando and the smugglers nothing. Lando held Han responsible, and his grudge against his former friend lay deep in his being. Han Solo was the last person Lando ever wanted to see again.

But before Solo landed Lando's former ship, the _Millennium Falcon_ —the ship he lost to Han in a Sabaac game—Darth Vader and his storm troopers showed up at Calrissian's door. It was just like Han to get mixed up with the rebels again because of a woman—a princess, no less—who was of a higher rank that Commander Tharen. Han Solo betrayed Lando once, and then he brought the Empire, who had left Calrissian's little piece of heaven alone, to Cloud City.

Lando did his best to appease the Dark Lord who was intent on capturing the rebels. Vader promised he and the Imperials would collect their quarry and leave Cloud City untouched, as long as Lando helped him out. Despite his grudge against Solo, Lando felt queasy about helping out the Empire for whom he had no love. But he had a city to think of, innocent civilians to think about, and a whole population of millions who feared the Empire. Cloud City wasn't just a haven for Lando but a haven for these people who relied on Calrissian to keep the city safe.

But Darth Vader altered the deal, first by torturing Han and then handing him over to the notorious bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Lando thought he could at least keep the princess and Chewbacca safe. After all, the Dark Lord promised they would stay on Cloud City, though Vader was going to leave a garrison in the city, breaking another part of the deal. Calrissian kept quiet about this change in the plan, but when Vader demanded that the princess and Chewie be brought to his ship, he spoke up only to feel the invisible hand of the Sith Lord around his neck.

Lando, however, had eluded the Empire before in his less legitimate days, so he had no qualms about changing the altered deal himself. Lando had inconspicuously contacted Lobot, his chief administration aide, and his Bespin Wing Guards ambushed the Imperial officer, Sheckil, and his storm troopers, and helped the princess and Chewbacca escape.

Lando, however, felt that he had more wrongs to right, and this was the reason he was in his current position. He was no longer a Baron or respectable man in polite society, but Tamtel Skreej, a guard at Jabba the Hutt's palace. To earn the notorious Hutt's trust and infiltrate his domain, Lando, pushed the real Skreej into Rancor chow and stole Tamtel's identity. As Skreej, Lando participated in the crime lord's demolitions where participants and their vehicles faced off against each other until one participant died. Lando was a survivor.

It took a while to ferment Jabba's trust in Lando, but once he was accepted into the Hutt's circle, he was given the job as a guard in crime lord's audience chamber of his palace, right where Luke needed him.

And finally his ambition paid off. When Han and Leia were discovered by Jabba, Lando rushed in. When two other guards grabbed Solo and dragged him away, Lando managed to grab one of Leia's arms—a Gamorrean guard took the other—and started to follow the guards who took Han away. Lando was determine to remove the princess from the anteroom and into the cell in the dungeon with Han, but Jabba had different plans for Leia.

Lando's stomach dropped when Jabba demanded that the Princess Leia be brought to him. Calrissian hesitated, his mind racing to find a way out of this situation, but the Gamorrean guard pushed him out of the way and shoved Leia toward Jabba until she was inches away from the grotesque crime lord. The Hutt spoke to the princess, but Lando didn't think she understood him.

"We have powerful friends," Leia told the grotesque Hutt. "You're gonna regret this."

Jabba responded to her threat with his tongue. Leia turned away as he ran his tongue up the side of her face.

"Oh, I can't bear to watch!" Threepio threw his hands in the air and turned away.

Jabba barked out another command. The Gamorrean guard salivated

Lando stepped forward and pushed the Gamorrean guard out of the way. He looked into Leia's large brown eyes that were at first filled with defeat but gained some hope when she recognized him. Lando proceeded to remove Leia's bandolier with gentle care. The Gamorrean guard held out the princess' arms, and Calrissian then patted her, running his hands along her arms, down her sides, and legs, as respectfully as he could. He removed a thermal detonator, two shock grenade discs, and a hold-out blaster in her right boot. Lando wanted to leave her with her hold-out blaster, but it would be dangerous for her—and him—if she were caught with any weapons on her.

Jabba the Hutt waved a hand and made another demand. Lando's face dropped behind his mask, and Leia's hope diminished. She knew there was nothing Lando could do to help her, not without revealing himself and being killed. She pressed her lips together and gave Calrissian a warning look.

A ruthless bounty hunter with one prosthetic arm named Ponda Baba and the once a genius but now insane surgeon, Dr. Evezan, stepped out of the shadows. Lando's chest constricted. He tried to hide his dread, but Leia caught it. She inhaled and exhaled, preparing herself for the worse. Jabba chuckled and clapped his hands together, and Leia knew whatever was to come was going to be worse than she thought. The Gamorrean guard forcefully pushed Lando out of the way and forced the princess to her knees. Ponda Baba grabbed her hair, pulled back her head, and then used his prosthetic hand to squeeze her cheeks until her mouth opened as he called her derogatory names in his in Huttese. Leia tried to struggle against the bounty hunter, but to no avail. His grip on her was iron tight. Dr. Evazan grinned, and the scar on the right side of his face morphed into something more sinister than before. The doctor held up the fizzing cup and poured it down Leia's throat. She tried to spit it out and cough it up, but Ponda Baba held her mouth closed and pinched her nose. After a few seconds of resisting, the princess swallowed the potion.

Lando bit the inside of his cheek as he watched them force the drink down Leia's throat while he helplessly stood by. He wanted to cut Jabba's throat (if he had one) to wipe away the pleasure on the hideous being's face. He wanted to blast away Ponda Baba and Dr. Evezan, to gut the Gamorrean guard who salivated over Leia's suffering, but it would all be futile. There was nothing he could do.

Once The princess swallowed every ounce of the potion, Dr. Evezan stepped back and Ponda Baba released her. Leia reached into her mouth with her gloved hand, intending to force herself to vomit, but Ponda Baba grabbed her hand and twisted it. She yelped in pain. Once he released her, Leia unsteadily climbed to her feet and tried to blink the blurriness out of her vision. She started to fall back to the ground, but Lando caught her. His dark worried eyes were the last thing she saw before her world went black.

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"I'm alright," Han Solo reassured his best friend.

Chewbacca wereened and cooed.

"I just feel, I dunno…" Han ran his hand through his wet hair. "Confused. Everything's distorted. It's like yesterday I was in Cloud City, and now I'm in Jabba's dungeon." He shook his head. "How long was I out of it?"

The Wookie hesitated.

"How long?"

Chewbacca answered him, and Han let out a breath. "Six months?"

Chewie explained the delay.

"Two months to find me?" he expelled an exasperated breath. "Where'd you think Fett was taking me? Why didn't you just come straight to Tatooine?"

Chewie garrawfed and harffed and garrawfed again.

"Yeah, I guess if you found me before Fett reached Tatooine we wouldn't be where we are now."

Han's best friend brayed and woorooned.

"Lando's here? He helped you search for me? He must feel real guilty." His ire was crystal clear. "If I get the chance, I'm gonna kill 'im."

Chewbacca growled, whoofed, and rurawed.

"He helped you and Leia escape Vader? Really?" Han's brow furrowed. Six months had passed. Six months. Lando, his former friend, helped out the two most important beings in Solo's life, and now had come here to rescue him. And Chewie believed Luke was a Jedi.

"How's Leia? Vader never got to her after I…?"

Chewie shook his head and growled, and Han breathed a sigh of relief. But now Leia was in Jabba's clutches. Jabba would want nothing more than to defile the princess just to punish Han. He clenched his teeth together as he thought up ways he would get revenge on that nasty Hutt.

The Wookie gurrawfed, harungued, and rowered.

"What?

Chewie repeated himself.

She left the Alliance?" Han ran his hand through his hair. "She'd never do that."

Chewie groaned.

"Yeah, yeah," Han grumbled. "She's here." And that thought just made him angrier.

Chewbacca lowed and grunted.

"She really gave up her rank and position in the High Command?" _For me…_

Han pressed his lips together, and he suddenly felt dizzy. The girl who dedicated her life to the Alliance, who would lay down her life for the cause, who would never let anyone get in the way of her duties to the Alliance, walked away from of all that for him.

 _I love you._

Solo knew Leia loved him even if she had never told him. They're time together on the _Falcon_ when the ship limped its way to Bespin left him with no doubt that she loved him. But to give up all that was important to her, all that she lived for, for him? He would have never expected Leia to choose him over the Alliance. It took his breath away.

It took Han a moment to get it back. Leia left the Alliance only to get captured by Jabba the Hutt because she loved him.

"Where is she?" Han asked. Then he thought she might be somewhere in the dungeon not too far away. "Leia? Leia?"

Chewbacca moaned, informing Han that she was never brought down here.

"If Jabba lays a hand on her…" What? What could he do for her trapped in this dank cell with Chewbacca? He had no control over her fate. And he knew it wouldn't be a pleasant one. If only he could see.

"Have you tried breakin' through the bars?" Han asked.

Chewie's reply was that of irritation.

"How's ya' gonna rescue me and now Leia from behind these bars?"

Chewbacca brayed and gurrawfed.

"Oh, Luke has it all figured out," Han said mockingly. Luke, the starry-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears kid that Han had to rescue on Hoth. Solo shook his head. "Luke should have never sent her here." Han's lips curled. "What was Luke thinking?"

Chewie defended Luke, reminding his best friend that the kid was now a Jedi.

Han didn't even believe in the Force, but there was no sense in saying anything because Chewbacca knew this. Chewbacca never shared his opinion about the Force, though Han knew he had fought alongside the Jedi on the Wookie's home planet, Kashyyyk. Did Han's best friend—the one who was rational and level-headed in their relationship—believe in the mystic ways of the Force?

"I've only been gone sixth months."

The Wookie whined.

"You don't have to tell me six months is a long time." He jutted out his chin. "You coulda stopped her."

Chewie laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. She is willful, but I don't care if she would've come anyway. Someone—you—shoulda explained the dangers of being Jabba's captive to her."

Chewie's growl was defensive.

"You did?" Han shook his head. "Well, you should've forced her to stay behind, tied her up if you had to."

The Wookie explained that her part was only to release Han from the carbonite block and then fade into the background as Boushh, but Leia had her mind made up: she was going to get Han out of Jabba's palace no matter what.

"Stubborn as ever." Han clenched his teeth together. "I'm worried about her," he softly said.

Chewbacca grumbled.

Han felt sick to his stomach imagining what Leia was going through. Han had seen Jabba's brutality and treatment of females first hand. How many had he dropped into the Rancor's pit just for pleasure? Han's heart clenched. Would he do that to Leia?

"Do you think…?"

Chewie warrooed.

Chewbacca was right; dying at the mouth of a Rancor would probably be much better than what Jabba the Hut would do to Leia. The crime lord heard Leia tell Han she loved him. Jabba no longer had Han as his favorite piece of art hanging on the wall. What better way to punish Han more than to degrade and defile the princess? And all because she loved him. Solo suddenly felt sick to his stomach. With his hands on his knees, he bent over and began to wretch.

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Princess Leia Organa slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times as she tried to clear her vision, but it remained blurry, and she couldn't focus her eyes no matter how hard she tried. Her head felt hazy, light as if it was a feather being carried away on the wind. Her body, however, felt just the opposite. It was heavy, weighted down as if she was sinking into the gritty floor.

Leia fought to remember how she got here. The last thing she remembered was standing inches from Jabba the Hutt, his tongue snaking out of his gargantuan mouth, and it running up the side of her face as she turned away. Then Lando disarming her, his dark eyes sympathetic to her plight. And there was that purple fizzy drink that she was forced to drink. It was syrupy-sweet with a bitter aftertaste, something laced with spice. After that, she remembered nothing and assumed that she must have blacked out.

Where was she now? Leia's face was turned toward the right side of the room. She squinted, and through her hazy vision, she could see dark shadowed curves beyond the natural light under which she lay. The princess tried to turn her head to get a better sense of her surroundings, but her head wouldn't budge. It didn't feel as if it was tied down; her head just failed to obey. She tried to move her arms and legs, to push herself into a seated position, but just like her head, her limbs wouldn't budge and they weren't tied down. Only her eyes remained under her control, but even they really weren't because she couldn't focus them. Leia's respiration sped up and panic set in as she began fully understanding that she was now at the mercy of her captor.

The princess could hear voices in the far distance, floating above her as if they were in a different plane than where she lay. She attuned her ears and closed her eyes to focus on the bodiless voices, to distinguish the speakers, but the voices were too unfamiliar, too far away, and she couldn't make out the words, let alone how many there was. Then she heard it, the laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha."

 _I know that laugh._

Leia opened her large brown eyes and saw Han standing next to her, his form crisp and clear though the rest of her surroundings remained blurry. She tried to call out to him, but her voice wouldn't work. Han's hazel eyes glared at something to her left, and she assumed it was Jabba that Han was looking at. Leia could smell Jabba, but she was unable to look herself. It didn't matter; Han was here, and she knew he'd rescue her.

Solo looked down at Leia.

 _Wonderful girl. Either I'm gonna kill her or I'm beginning to like her._

Leia blinked, and when she opened her eyes—they were just closed for a second—Han was lying on the ground. Again, she tried to call out to him, but she couldn't get her voice to work. She wanted to go to him, to pick him up off of the ground and escape Jabba's palace unseen, but she couldn't move a muscle. Frustration and anger zipped through her spine as she found herself helpless and of no use to Han.

Then, without the help of anyone, Han rose from the floor with eyes closed, and fell up. Leia blinked her eyes several times, confused. Han curled up on himself before returning to the pose he was frozen in for the last six months as red light surrounded his face and body. The carbonite grew over his body until Han was once again encased in carbonite.

Han hung on the wall as he had before she freed him, as if she never freed him in the first place. Leia blinked, and Solo was no longer there. Her chest rose and fell; her heart was pierced by a strong sense of loss.

Was she dreaming? Was her vision just another nightmare? _Wake up. Wake up!_

The cool sensation of the dull side of a knife pressed against her stomach. This was no dream. Leia felt the knife move up her body and heard the distinct sound of fabric ripping. A light draft drifted over her skin. Distant voices, laughter—not just from Jabba—floated over her again, yet there was no one in her line of vision. Though the knife felt real, the disembodied voices didn't seem real to her; Han was real to her. But the way he left her…was that real? Was he just an apparition and the voices authentic? The princess tried to wake herself up, to gain control of her body, to at least turn her head, but she remained paralyzed where she was.

Then Leia felt hands upon her, pulling her, adjusting her, hurting her. Like the voices, these hands were distant, too, yet the pain she felt was distinct, sharp, real.

Leia closed her eyes and exhaled, fatigued from fighting her paralysis. When she them again, Luke walked out of the shadows just as sharp and clear as Han was moments before. Luke wore all black, and on his right hand, he wore a black glove that held the hilt of a light saber. He tapped the hilt on his left hand.

 _My sister has it…_

 _My sister has it?_ His words were a cypher and she knew one day she would understand. At the moment she didn't care. Relief flooded through her; Luke would free Han from the carbonite; he would rescue her.

 _Not yet…_

Luke's somber face gave her a small apologetic smile, and his large blue eyes carried a sadness that ran deep. Those eyes also held in a secret, one that weighed heavily upon him, one that he wanted to tell her but couldn't.

This time Leia kept her large brown eyes open, refusing blink, but Luke still faded away. A bolt of pain ran through her body. Then she heard someone howl, not distant or fuzzy like the voices that floated over her, but close and familiar. Chewbacca stood in her peripheral vision. He expelled a heart-wrenching whine and rested his head on the support pole of an X-Wing in need of repair. A sickness came over her, the sickness she felt when she and Chewie were on Hoth waiting for the shield doors to shut while Han and Luke were still out there in the cold

The deep sadness in the Wookie's steely blue eyes melted away the hope she had when Luke appeared.

And something pressed on her, stealing her breath and bringing more pain. And there was Jabba's laugh again. Chewbacca disappeared, and there were the hands again pulling and grabbing and shoving her body every which way. Leia closed her eyes against the onslaught of these hands that she could not see.

 _I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess._

Han…Leia opened her eyes. Han was squatting across from her, close enough that if she could move her hand she could touch his boot. Han removed his gloves, flashed a cocky grin, and winked at her. He disappeared as a sharp pain pierces her body. Again, her eyes squeeze shut.

 _I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you._

Leia slowly opened her eyes, and there he was, Luke standing in front of her dressed as a storm trooper, his bright blue eyes full of hope and optimism, not like the eyes of the Luke she saw earlier. Although her pain increased, relief flooded through her blood. That was until the Luke Skywalker Leia saw earlier, the one in black with sad secretive eyes took young Luke's place.

 _Not yet._

Jabba's laugh fought through the voices, and Luke faded away. The room filled with a familiar sinister respiration rhythm, in…out…in…out. Out of the shadows Darth Vader appeared. Was she on the Death Star? Was all this Vader's torture? But she didn't know Luke, Han, or Chewie then. Not until after….

 _Tell me where the Skywalker is._

Her mind immediately braced itself from the inevitable onslaught of Vader's torture. He wouldn't get any information out of her. She must be on the Death Star…but Luke and Han rescued her…The pain…the pain she felt now was physical, rough, and careless, not like on the Death Star.

Darth Vader walked back into the shadows, and Han is there again. The pain she endured was worsening, and again, something was pressing down on her chest jostling her around. She tried to escape her body like she did on the Death Star by focusing her attention on Han.

 _That's not it. Come on…You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me._

Solo pointed his finger at her. He leaned down low until his hazel eyes were mere centimeters from hers. Why couldn't she admit she needed him then? So much wasted time.

 _You can tell Luke. Is that it? Eh!_

Leia's heart cracked as she watched Han turn away from her. Her back scraped against the gritty ground. She was confused, tired, and unsure of how long she could take this torture. A disembodied hand grabbed her hair and pulled her head back while another hand grabbed her throat. Leia tried to suck in a breath, but between the hand on her throat and the weight upon her chest, it seemed impossible.

 _Embrace your anger. Remember it. Use it._

It was Darth Vader who gave her this advice. He stood over her, hands on his hips, and for the first time since her experience as his prisoner on the Death Star she was not afraid of him. The bodiless hands tearing at her hair and squeezing her neck released her, and the weight on chest eased. Her head once again fell to the side. Darth Vader knelt down beside her and took her hand in his. She stared at his gloved hand and then raised her eyes to peer into his monstrous face.

It wasn't Vader, but Luke. It was Luke's black-gloved hand that held hers, his clothes as black as Vader's. Kneeling beside her, he pushed the hair out of her eyes. She felt her hair brush against her skin as he tucked it behind her ear. She could feel her hand in hers, though she couldn't close her fingers around his. He was real, as real as the pain she was enduring. He smiled down at her, apologetic and loving. Leia squeezed her eyes shut tight as the pain heightened; Luke squeezed her hand.

 _You're strong. You've always been strong._

This time Luke didn't leave her.


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4:

Inside Ben Kenobi's abode, Luke Skywalker hovered over the ground with his eyes closed, his legs crossed, and his hands resting on his thighs. With steady and even respiration, he calmed his mind and focused within, letting the Force flow through him. Everything was falling in place. Lando Calrissian successfully became one of Jabba the Hutt's trusted guards. Han was freed from carbonite. Luke sensed both Chewbacca and Han Solo were together, though wherever they were, it was a cold, dark, and dank place. And Princess Leia Organa…

 _Leia!_

Luke's large blue eyes popped open, his respiration sped up, his heart began to race, and he dropped to the ground with a sand-muted thud. The Jedi's anger began to rise from the pit of his stomach and into his chest as a vision of Leia's plight filled his mind. He could feel phantom pains in his abdomen, a pressure in his chest.

Luke's first impulse was to rush over to Jabba the Hutt's palace with his light saber ablaze. He could seem himself slashing down all the scum in the palace and torturing the crime lord to a slow death. Skywalker wanted revenge.

But Jedi do not get revenge.

Shaking, shocked and uneasy, Luke realized that he probably would be able to kill every last one of Jabba's lackeys, the bounty hunters that hunted Han down, and Jabba the Hutt on his own. He could vision it, see himself striking down his enemy clearer than he could see the visions of his friends. Luke grabbed his head. How easy it would be to turn to the Dark Side. He could save his friends, but he'd lose himself in the process, and Vader and the Emperor would win.

Luke should have never let Leia join them on this mission. He closed his eyes to capture the tears that threatened to fall. How easy it would be to fall to the Dark Side to save her, and that scared him. She was his greatest weakness.

The princess would have never let Luke and the others rescue Han without her. And Luke needed her there. In his vague visions, he saw Leia's importance, though he could not clearly see the part she would play.

Skywalker pushed back against his tears, took control of his ragged breathing, and focused on the princess. He reached out to her but found her mind in a distant place, hazy. She must have been drugged. Luke dug deeper, dug through her haze as he tried to see through her eyes. He pushed down the physical pain—her pain—that he felt, and did his best to soothe her mind.

Luke stood up and pushed her suffering out of his mind. If he carried Leia's suffering with him, he would certainly fall to the Dark Side. But he could wait no longer. Now dressed in black, he donned a black hooded cape and left Kenobi's home without looking back. Skywalker mounted his speeder bike and zoomed off to face Jabba the Hutt.

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Han Solo leaned against the cold bars that held him and Chewbacca in Jabba's custody as he tried to focus his eyes. Between the shadows, he could see a bright stark light that shot down from above and illuminated a brown blur. The brown blur was snoring. Chewbacca told him to rest, but Han had rested long enough. Six months to be exact. Well, at least his eyesight was improving like Leia said it would. He wished he knew where she was. Not knowing was worse than knowing.

Or maybe not.

Where was Luke? Han turned around and wrapped his fingers around the cold bars in front of him. Facing away from the light in the cell, the dark was blacker, more oppressive. He pressed his face close to the bars and looked to his left. He saw a faint light at the far end, the way out. If only he could get through these bars.

"Chewie!"

The Wookie continued to snore.

"Chewie! Wake up you furry oaf!"

Han's best friend growled and grumbled but sat up anyway.

"To the left. That's the way out, right?" There was hope in Han's voice.

Chewbacca groaned.

"If we could figure out a way to break through these bars—"

The Wookie cut him off with a series of garrawfs and horours.

"Are you sure it leads to the main chamber?"

Chewie continued to damper Han's plan.

"So we don't have weapons. We get them off the guards."

Chewbacca sighed and grunted.

Han's enthusiasm waned as he thought about it more. He turned around and leaned against the bars once again. Chewbacca was right; if they did manage to get past the guards, they were grossly outnumbered and would be no help to Leia—if they were even to find her. Han had no idea where she was being kept. He whirled around and punched the bars and then grabbed his hand in pain.

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Lando Calrissian walked the halls as if he was there with the intent of guarding the corridors. But he had another reason to be walking the halls this late at night. He made his way to the slave quarters, pressed his hand against the security pad, and entered the darkened room. Lando activated the glow lights, keeping them on the lowest setting. That's when he saw her: Princess Leia lying in a ball in the middle of the room. Normally the slave quarters were occupied by many females, but tonight Leia was alone. Jabba had killed off his seven of his slaves in less than a week, including sweet Oola who lost her life to a Rancor. A horrid death.

Calrissian went to the unconscious princess. She had been cleaned up and now donned a metal bikini. Lando clenched his teeth together.

 _As if she didn't suffer enough._

Lando knelt down beside her. "Princess?" he gently shook her shoulder, but she didn't answer. "Leia."

The princess's eyes opened halfway. "Lando?" she choked out, and her eyes closed again.

"Yeah. It's me."

Leia didn't say anything, slipping back into unconsciousness. Lando scooped her up in his arms, carried her over to the cot, and deposited her there. He lifted her head and slipped a pillow beneath it. The he slipped a rough blanket over her body, bringing the edges up to her chin.

"I promise you, Jabba will pay for this," Lando told her. He took one last look at her, walked to the door and turned off the glow lights. "Good night, Princess."

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The princess slowly awoke. She found herself lying on a cot with a blanket pulled over her. Her body ached everywhere, but the pain was sharpest under her breast and along her hips. She pushed the blanket off of her and used great care to push herself into a seated position. Then she looked down at herself, and her chin hit something metal. Leia touched it. It was a metal collar around her neck. With her hand pulling on the collar, she examined the rest of her body and discovered the reason her chest and hips hurt the most; she was wearing a metal bikini. As if she didn't suffer enough humiliation.

Leia put her hand on her lower back and arched her body and rolled her neck. That just brought more pain. She tried to recall what happened to her last night, but she couldn't remember much. The pain she remembered, but she was still experiencing it so it was easy to remember. Leia recalled being unable to move her body but remained able to see and hear. Leia did have the feeling that she wasn't alone, wasn't friendless in a room full of enemies. Were they—Han, Luke, and Chewie—there? Or did she just dream them up. Luke. She did feel his hand in hers. But Darth Vader was the one who first grabbed her hand; that she remembered. Leia's spine tingled.

With a clank and a scrape, the door slid open. The princess cursed herself for not being prepared to take whoever it was out. But it turned out to be a good thing; Lando was the one to walk in carrying a tray. Her shoulders relaxed.

"How's Han?" Leia immediately asked.

"He's fine. He's being held in the dungeon with Chewie," Lando informed her. "How are you?"

"Was he there…last night?"

"No," Lando answered and saw the relief flow through Leia's posture. "There was no point cos he couldn't see."

"That was for the best."

"How are you?" Lando repeated.

"I'm fine," she lied, but it would be easier to believe that than to acknowledge what happened.

"I brought you something to eat." Lando held out the tray to her.

"Should I trust it's not poisoned?" Her tone was light and Lando took that to be a sarcastic joke. Leia placed the tray on her lap and examined the various fruits, none native to Tatooine.

Lando let out a chuckle. "I prepared it myself."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks."

The door slid open again, startling the pair. Yarna d'al' Gargan, an Askajian and keeper of the slaves, walked into the room.

"Whadda ya do here?" she asked.

"Jabba ordered me to bring her to him," Lando answered.

"Then why ya' steel 'ere?"

"I thought she might be hungry."

"Alway too soft, ya' are wit da slaves," Yarna reprimanded Lando, her multiple breasts bouncing as she shook her finger at him. "She no eat." The heavy woman slapped the tray off of Leia's lap. Then she handed Lando a chain. "'Ere. Ya' do honors. Git 'er up dare to Jabba fast. It be yer head not mine if ya' not fast enough."

Yarna huffed at the princess. "No more royalty are you, lil' one." And she waddled out of the room laughing.

Lando looked down at the chain in his hand then up at Leia. "I'm sorry."

"You have no choice."

The former Baron recalled those same words Leia said to him in Cloud City when she didn't trust that he was helping her and Chewbacca escape.

 _You had no choice_ , spoken in anger, not like now where Leia placed no blame on him.

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Luke Skywalker parked his bike next to the speeder that carried Chewbacca and Leia to the palace. He would walk the rest of the way so he could take the time to let the Force flow through him, push down his anger and feelings of aggression. As a kid, Luke had heard horrific stories about Jabba the Hutt, terrifying and unreal. Were those stories just exaggerations, rumors? Probably so, but there was always some truth to such rumors, and even the paired down version of those rumors and stories were terrifying enough. Luke feared Jabba as a kid.

But now Luke was a Jedi, and he feared the Hutt no more.

Luke Skywalker approached the foreboding door of Jabba the Hutt's palace, held out his hand, and closed his eyes. The door opened under his full command.


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5:

Luke Skywalker stepped to the edge of the plank on the skiff above the Sarlaac Pit; he was calm and felt ready for what was to come. Everyone was in their place. Lando, Han, and Chewbacca were on the same skiff he was. It was fortunate that Lando was assigned to their skiff. But it was like how Luke envisioned it. And Leia and the droids were on the Jabba's pleasure barge where Luke needed them.

Still, Luke wished that things turned out differently, that they wouldn't have to fight their way out of this situation. He had hoped when he first encountered Jabba the Hutt that the Jedi Mind Trick would have work on Jabba, but the crime lord proved he wasn't as weak-minded as Luke expected. Luke had already anticipated that the Hutt would have no interest in bargaining, and he knew it would come down to this: a bloody fight.

Just as Luke had foreseen. He felt confident, but pushed that feeling down. _The future is always in motion,_ Yoda's words echoed in his head, pulling Luke back into the moment. Anything could happen now, and things might not turn out the way he expected them too.

Luke addressed Jabba, giving him one last time to let the Jedi and his friends go, but he knew Jabba would never agree to that, especially because crime lord had everyone in the places _he_ wanted them. He had Leia as his slave—Han Solo would die knowing that—and Luke, Han, and Chewbacca were poised to become the Sarlaac's next meal. From the Jabba's point of view, the all-powerful and mighty Hutt had the advantage here.

Jabba the Hutt laughed his slow obnoxious laugh and gave out a command. A Weequay prodded Luke forward, and the Jedi calmly walked to the end of the plank. He looked down at the tentacled mouth below and frowned and glanced up. There was his trusted astromech droid, Artoo, standing on the top level of the barge. Luke saluted his enemy, jumped off the plank, and whirled around just in time to catch the extended platform with the tips of his fingers. The Jedi propelled himself in the air, performed a flip, landed on the deck of the skiff, and caught his new light saber that R2-D2 ejected from one of his compartments.

That was when chaos broke out. It was a tough battle. Not only did he and his friends have to fight off the thugs and guards on the skiff they were on, but another skiff full of Jabba's thugs pulled up, and its occupants began firing on their skiff. And blast fire came from the pleasure barge. They almost lost Lando to the Sarlaac, and Chewbacca was wounded, but they managed to defeat their enemies. Luke retrieved Leia from the pleasure barge after she helped destroy it so that no one aboard could follow them. Luke collected Leia, and they swung from a rope and landed on the skiff.

"Let's go," Luke ordered. "And don't forget the droids."

Lando took up the helm and activated the magnetic pulley system to pull the droids from the sand. "We're on our way."

No longer blind, Han knelt down next to his best friend to get a good look at Chewie's wounded leg. The injury wasn't as bad as Han first thought. The shot just grazed him, singing his hair, and leaving a red and black burned streak on his bald skin. The heat of the laser blast had cauterized the wound, and Chewie wasn't losing much blood. There was no first aid kit aboard the skiff so Chewie would have to wait until they returned to the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Aw, it's just a scratch, you big baby."

Chewbacca roared and groaned.

"It's not even worth my attention."

Chewie whined.

"Of course it hurts, but you'll survive.

Once Luke released Leia she rushed over to Han and knelt down beside him. She threw her arms around his neck, knocking Han on his backside. He returned her embraced, closing his eyes to savor the feel of her.

"Leia," he breathed.

The princess pulled back from his embrace to look into his face. Her smile was just as big as Han's. He grabbed her head with both of his hands and pressed his lips against hers for what seemed to be an eternity. Something hit his chest. Han broke the kiss and leaned back to take more of her in. His smile faded as he saw the chain around her neck and skimpy outfit.

"Jabba's lucky he's dead," he muttered.

"I took care of that." Leia smiled.

Han grabbed the back of her head and quickly kissed her again. Then he looked around. "Artoo! Get over here and get this thing off of her."

As Artoo rolled over to Han and Leia, Han took off his shirt and handed it to Leia, leaving him in only his undershirt. She pulled the shirt over her head and slipped her arms through the sleeves. Han stood up and moved to let Artoo remove the metal collar around Leia's neck. The droid opened one of his compartments, and out popped a needle-like implement. She turned around and pulled her braided hair over her shoulder, and Artoo inserted the tool into the keyhole in the back of the collar. The collar dropped to the ground with a clank, and Leia rubbed her neck.

When she was finally freed from her tether, she looked up to find Han had left her side and was stalking towards Lando.

"Han, wait!" Leia followed him.

Solo ignored her. He went up to Lando and clocked him with a right hook, knocking Lando to the ground. The skiff the former Baron was steering teetered and went off course. Luke grabbed the controls, and managed to get the skiff back on course, and Leia planted herself between Han and Lando. She pressed her hands against his chest. Han grimaced as he shook his sore hand.

"Lando's not the man you thought he was," Leia argued. "If it wasn't for him, Chewie and I would be Vader's prisoners, and you'd still be an art piece in Jabba's palace."

"I'm sorry, Han," Lando said from his prone position, holding up his hands.

Han pressed his lips together and sighed. To him, Lando betrayed them on Cloud City just yesterday or minutes before he was freed from the carbonite, not six months ago. Solo held out his hand to Lando. "Thanks for helpin' Chewie and Leia escape and savin' me from Jabba."

The princess stepped out of the way to allow Han to help Lando to his feet. Lando brushed the sand from his backside. "It was the least I could do."

"Yeah, well thanks."

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An epic sandstorm blew over the dunes of Tatooine. The rebels took refuge in the _Millennium Falcon_ and waited for the storm to abate.

"This sand isn't good for my baby," Han lamented after Han inspected his beloved ship and joined Lando, Luke, and Chewie in the galley where Chewbacca was cooking up a hot meal for everyone. Leia had patched up Chewie's wound while Han inspected his ship, and the Wookie was no longer in a feel-sorry-for-himself mood.

Han glanced at the table where Luke and Lando sat. "This is new." He sat down next to Luke and across from Lando.

"There wasn't enough room for everyone around that old table of yours," Lando informed him.

"What other changes did you make to _my_ ship?" the smuggler asked in a threatening voice.

Lando held his hands up and laughed, "Don't look at me. After we found you on Tatooine, I stayed and Chewie left. He and Leia had the _Falcon_ since then. I was busy doing Jabba's dirty work."

Han glared at the Wookie's back. "Chewie?"

Chewbacca looked over his shoulder, smiled, and shrugged as he blamed Leia for the changes.

The princess walked in just as the Wookie finished his sentence. "Don't you put it all on me, you walking carpet. Most of the improvements were yours."

Han took the sight of her in. Her long wet hair hung down her back, and she was wearing an over-sized T-shirt—his T-shirt—that almost covered the pink shorts adorned with white flowers. On her feet, she wore over-sized socks. His, too? Leia seemed comfortable and relaxed in her pajamas around everyone and within the confines of the _Falcon_ as if it was her ship. Obviously, Chewie kept his promise; he took care of her.

"Improvements?" Han stressed.

"That's what Chewie called them."

The Wookie growled at the princess and turned back to the pot he was stirring.

"The same to you," she shot back.

Without a word, Luke got up, Leia took his place next to Han, and he sat in the chair next to Lando as if they had this all choreographed before this moment. Leia turned her head toward Han, looked up at him, and smiled. She reached up and touched his cheek. It took him aback. When he last saw her, she was shy with her affection, and he never dreamt that she would be so open and tender in public. Returning her smile, Han studied her. It seemed like only yesterday he saw her on Cloud City, her face contorted with sorrow and fear while she clung to Chewbacca. But the six months that had past were evident in Leia's appearance. She was leaner, paler than she was when he last saw her, and she had lost all the baby fat in her face. She looked more tired than she had been on Hoth, but her large brown eyes twinkled with a happiness he had never seen there before. And she was smiling.

"What's it feel like being back?" she asked.

"I don't feel like I was gone that long," Han admitted. Then he flashed a lop sided grin. "How does it feel to have _me_ back?"

Leia laughed and it sounded like music to Han's ears. "It feels good."

Luke laughed too. "We're all glad to have you back."

"Me too." Han winked at the princess.

Then Han met Luke's eyes. Luke smiled at the smuggler and then looked away. The kid was no longer the kid he had known. There was something in Luke's blue eyes, the way he carried himself, a maturity and sadness that wasn't there the last time Han saw him on Hoth. The conversation around Han was light and humorous, and he noticed that Luke smiled and laughed along, but there seemed to be something heavy on his mind that pulled him away from his friends. Opposite of Leia's large brown eyes, Luke's eyes seemed weighed down by something. Han wanted to talk to Luke, find out what was on his mind, but now was not the time. The jovial atmosphere was not something Solo wanted to break, and he did not think Luke would want to talk about whatever it was right now.

Chewbacca came around and with a ladle, and he dropped a scoop of his bantha soup in each person's bowl before filling a big bowl on the counter for himself. He sat on a stool next to the counter with his body facing his friends and his bowl and spoon in his hands. The table and chairs were too small to be comfortable for him, and he and Leia couldn't find one that would accommodate the Wookie and fit in the _Falcon's_ cramped galley.

Chewie grumbled.

"That's right," Leia touched Han's hand. "Don't eat too fast. Your system isn't used to food."

"I won't, Your Bossiness," Han smiled at her and winked. Leia gave him a mock angry look, and Han leaned over and kissed her cheek. When he sat back, he delighted in the fact that he could still make her blush.

Conversation flowed as they ate their bantha soup, a comforting meal after what they had gone through. Han moved his spoon around in his soup, stopping to spoon some into his mouth now and then. He felt like a stranger of sorts. To his pleasure and surprise, there was no discussion of the Alliance and the Empire relating to the war or the progress of the war. Instead, his friends talked of their feats as they battled Jabba and his thugs, the close calls, their triumphs, and what happened while Han was gone. Lando shared his experiences in the demolition games he had to participate in, and Leia told them about facing the High Command before she left to rescue Han. Parts of their tales were incomplete as they omitted what each other already knew, leaving Han lost part of the time.

So much had happened in the six months Han had been frozen in carbonite. Lando was no longer an enemy but a trusted friend. Luke and Leia occasionally shared looks across the table, sharing a private joke when Luke discussed his training on Home One. Han picked up on the intimacy between them. They always had a comfortable, close relationship but not this close. Had Leia's feelings changed while he was gone? Did she form a romantic relationship with Luke?

If she had, why was she being so affectionate to Han in front of Luke?

And then there was Chewie. The Wookie's and Leia's conversations were familiar, relaxed, and even playful, similar to how Chewie related to Han. She had formed a close bond with the Wookie, and although Han was glad, he almost felt like he lost his best friend.

After the meal, Lando stood up and retrieved an ancient bottle of Corellian cognac. "I think it is finally time to open this baby."

He held up the bottle, opened it, and smiled before pouring some into everyone's glasses. Han swished the amber liquid around in his glass—not a glass for cognac, but Han never had a reason to have such glasses on his ship—and took a sip of it. It immediately went to his head. He pulled back and stared into his glass.

Leia noticed. She leaned towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You metabolism is off from the carbonite sickness. You might want to take it easy with that."

"I think you're right."

Han put the glass down and rested his hands on his thighs. Suddenly he felt soft little fingers wrap around his. He looked down at the hand Leia held. While keeping up with the conversation, she laced some of her fingers through his while her free fingers explored his palm, rubbed against his callouses. Han fought the urge to close his eyes so he could savor the sensation.

Solo allowed the conversation to flow over him. He didn't have a lot to contribute to the exchanges. While their lives continued on over those six months, there was just a lot of nothing for him during that time period. He was glad no one had asked him what it was like; he knew that question would come up sooner or later. It would be much better later, but even later he didn't want to talk about it. It was a whole lot of horrible that he didn't want to relive.

Han pushed his chair back. "I think I'm gonna take a shower and then may call it a night," he announced though he really wasn't tired.

Leia lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it before releasing him. He stood up and placed a kiss on the top of her forehead.

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Han walked through the corridor that led from the refresher to his cabin donning just a towel around his waist. He smiled to himself, remembering the last time he was in this state of dress and Leia's reaction as they limped their way to Cloud City, how shocked and mortified she was. How would she respond to him now?

From the way she had been interacting with him, Han figured Leia's reaction would be quite different. They were intimate, familiar with each other during those forty days of travel to Bespin, but there was a sadness and a reluctance in her. He knew it was because he planned on leaving after he got her to the Alliance's rendezvous point. Now, there seemed to be no holding back, no reluctance in her. It was as if she was making up for lost time. And for her there was a loss of time. To him, it was only yesterday when she was reserved and hesitant with him. This change in her was something he had to—wanted to—get used to.

 _I love you._

The last words Leia had spoken to him. Han regretted not telling her that he loved her back, but at the time, it seemed like it would be cruel. Why remind her of all the time she—they—wasted arguing with each other and resisting the connection between them?

Han walked into his cabin, half expecting the princess to be there. She must still be enjoying Lando's expensive cognac. The first thing he noticed was a floral scent that permeated through his cabin and was almost undetectable. He went to his closet and pulled open one of the lower drawers only to find Leia's underthings occupying it. Confused, he shut the drawer. He opened the drawer above it: more of Leia's things. He looked at the few dresses and uniform hanging next to his clothes beside the drawers. He wasn't sure how he felt about this discovery. She had invaded his space, rearranged his private cabin, and though it irked him a bit, he liked that she felt comfortable enough to do so. It was as if she had moved in. Did he want her to move in? He had never thought about it before. But then he never planned on sticking around.

Solo walked over to the bed. It was as he left it: Leia had made it that last day, and it was still orderly on one side. The side closest to the bulkhead was rumbled as if someone had lain upon the made bed. He picked up one of the pillows, pressed it against his face, and inhaled. Leia had, indeed, spent some time in or on his bed. He liked the thought of that. Wearing a closed-mouth smile, Han returned to his closet, rummaged through his drawers, and found a T-shirt and shorts. As soon as he dressed, he decided to look for the princess.

Han first checked the galley and found no one. Everyone must have turned in for the night. Solo had expected Leia to pick up where they left off and share his bed, so instead of checking the crews' quarters, he went to the place where he usually found her when she couldn't sleep: the cockpit.

The smuggler walked through the lounge and headed down the corridor that led to the cockpit. The door was open, and Leia was sitting in his pilot's seat, but she wasn't alone. Luke sat in Chewie's seat, and his fingers were intertwined with hers and hung over the gap between the chairs. Han stopped in his tracks. The two were in their own world as they quietly spoke to each other. Solo was about to turn around and head back to his cabin.

"Han." Luke called out as he released Leia's hand.

Leia immediately got up out of his seat and gestured to him. "Come join us."

"Are you sure?" There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Leia and Luke looked confused. "Why not?"

"Nothin'."

Han came further into the cockpit and sat down in the seat Leia evacuated. To his surprise, Leia sat down on his lap, let her head fall against his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist. In front of Luke. Maybe he was wrong….

"Bet you missed this," Leia said.

"Yeah, I did," he answered as he squeezed her tighter.

"I meant the view."

Han gazed out of the windshield and studied the myriad of stars twinkling in the ink black sky. That was the beautiful things about Tatooine, the starry nights away from the cities. The three of them sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Han leaned his cheek against Leia's head and relished the moment. She was soft and warm in his arms, the way he remembered her. He never thought he'd see her again, and here she was in his arms as if there wasn't six months between them. He never thought she would abandon the Alliance just to save him. She gave up everything she valued and believed in. For him. That fact still blew his mind away.

And there was Luke-Han's friend, more than a friend—who came after him as well. Han prided himself on being a loner with no attachments, but as they sat there staring at the stars, he found himself lucky to have these two in his life.

Luke yawned. "I think I should call it." He stood.

Han looked up at his friend and again noticed Luke's troubled blue eyes. "Hey, Luke. Thanks for comin' after me. Now I owe you one."

"Hopefully I won't have to collect." Then Luke added, "I'm…I'm gonna stay in Ben's home."

Leia lifted her head and twisted around, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Luke sighed. "I think this is the last time I'll ever be here."

"Okay," Leia said reluctantly and once again rested her head on Han's shoulder.

"Good night, you two."

"Good night," Leia and Han answered.

Luke patted Han's shoulder and then leaned over and placed a kiss on Leia's head. Without turning towards him, she caught his arm and let it slide through her hand. When their hands touched he clasped for several seconds before he turned to leave. Luke and Leia's interactions confused Han. Here she was, sitting on his lap, and holding his arms around her as if she was afraid he would let go. But then there was an intimacy between her and Luke as well.

Han waited until Luke was gone. "What's going on with Luke?"

"I don't know," Leia answered truthfully. "He battled Vader on Cloud City, lost his hand and his father's light saber in the fight." She paused and swallowed. "He almost died. We found him hanging from a weather vane under the city. He was…." She shook her head. "…shaken up to say the least. He hasn't been the same since. He's been quieter, more secretive. I think Vader did or said something that's haunting him."

Han took in her words. "He fought Vader?"

"He barely survived," Leia said. "He wasn't supposed to, according to him." She paused and inhaled, "He jumped to his death but got caught on the weather vain."

Then he said, "He didn't tell you what's haunting him?"

Leia shook her head. "It seems like it's something he's ashamed of."

Solo was surprised. If Luke were to talk to anyone about his inner feelings and such, it would be Leia he would talk to. He always confided in her about everything, so Han thought.

"He seems…older, more worn out by life."

"I guess fighting Vader did that." Leia shrugged. "He was training with an old Jedi Master when he saw a vision of us on Cloud City." She fell silent for a moment. "He thought he could save us.

They fell into a silence again. Han thought about the changes in Luke. The ki—his friend was so young and bright-eyed when he last saw him, which felt like yesterday to Solo. It was like Luke's spirit was broken in some way. Yet, the maturity he gained, well, Han had to be impressed about Luke's growth over the last six months. Han had to admit that Luke had a calm confidence within himself, and none of them would have escaped Jabba if Luke hadn't come—though Solo still wished Leia was left out of it. And the way Luke wielded his light saber, skilled and adept, and what he was able to do, perhaps Chewie was right: Luke was a Jedi.

If Han hadn't seen what Luke was able to do, he wouldn't have believed it. Maybe there was something to this so-called Force after all. The jury, for him, was still out on that.

Han shook his head. "Six months. It doesn't feel like I've been gone that long."

"You have." Leia's voice was quiet and sad, and she closed her eyes.

"Come on. Let's call it."

Leia opened her eyes and hesitated a moment as if she were trying to get her bearings, remember where and who she was. Then she got up off of his lap, took his hand, and followed him out of the cockpit. They made their way back to Han's cabin in the dark. Han noted Leia knew her way around the _Falcon_ in the dark as well as he did. It was as if she belonged on the ship, like she had always resided in it. Six months. He was not certain how he felt about that. When they were traveling to Bespin, Han hoped that she would become comfortable on his beloved ship, but for it to happen overnight (from his perspective) and how comfortable she was threw him off.

When they reached his cabin, the princess let go of his hand and hesitated at the door. Han turned around and looked at her. Was she reluctant to spend the night with him because of others on the ship? Because of Luke?

"Aren't you comin'?"

"I…"

Han's chest tightened. _Here it comes._

"I haven't slept here since….you've been gone."

"Where'd you sleep?"

"Crews' quarters." Leia twisted her hands in knots. "I just couldn't….not without you."

"I'm here now, Sweetheart."

 _Sweetheart._ It had been so long since she heard him call her that. She closed her eyes.

"You want to sleep in the crews' quarters?"

Leia shook her head. She then crossed the room, removed the socks that belonged to Han from her feet, and slid under the covers. She scooted close to the bulkhead so there was room for Han. Solo dimmed the light—he wanted to see her—turned off the light, removed his shirt, and climbed in next to her.

They lay there facing each other, she with her head flat on the pillow, he with his head propped up on his hand. With their eyes they drank in the other's presence, the realness of their reunion. Han lifted her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He just wanted an excuse to touch him, though he did not think he needed one.

Leia reacted to his touch by closing her eyes. It was hard to believe, after such a long period, after the doubt the High Command tried to instill in her, after waiting to hear news on Han's whereabouts and condition that he was finally here. It seemed too good to be true.

She lifted her chin to look at his hand that stroked her hair. Even in the dark, Han could see the bruises left by the collar and….were those fingerprints?

His hand froze. "What happened when…?"

Leia rolled over so that her back was facing him. "I don't know."

Han sat up, put a hand on her shoulder, and tried to peer into her face, but she wouldn't look at him.

"You don't know?" Han's tone was tinged with anger though not directly pointed at her. "How could you not know?"

"He drugged me," she answered. "I was out of it. I think I was hallucinating." She paused. "I just remember the pain," Leia whispered. "And…I don't know. Just…images…" Leia shuddered. A chill ran through her spine as she remembered how Darth Vader took her hand, and when she looked up it was Luke. Then she remembered Luke holding her hand until she passed out.

Han lay back down. Maybe it was best she didn't remember. Maybe it was best for him that she didn't remember.

"I killed him," the princess quietly said. "Jabba." Han remained quiet. "I strangled him with the chain he used to tether me to him."

Han placed a kiss on his shoulder. Although he wanted to be the one to take revenge on that grotesque crime lord, it was best Leia did it. It probably gave her back the power Jabba had stolen from her. Han put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him so that her back was flush against his bare chest. He placed another kiss on the top of her head.

"Still fits," Han said to lighten the mood.

Leia snuggled into his embrace and placed her arms over his as if to hold them there. She quietly giggled, "Yep."

Solo nuzzled his face in her hair and neck, inhaled her scent. It was something he did as they traveled to Bespin to remember her after he dropped her off with the rebels and went on his way to pay off Jabba. Would he have come back for her? Would Jabba have let him go so that he had the choice to come back to her? He didn't want to leave her, but he figured Jabba's ire would require more from him than just the money Han owed the crime lord. If he survived Jabba and went back for her, would he even been able to find her again? Things were not really going the Alliance's way when the rebels left Hoth. He knew the where the rendezvous point that he was to take Leia, but that would have changed by the time he paid off Jabba and was on his way (again, provided that Jabba let him go). Would he have tried to find her?

Han inhaled her scent again. Leia still smelled the same. That was comforting, and Han held her tighter to him.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"For what you had to go through because of me."

"I would go through it again for you," she whispered.

A chill ran up Han's spine. He closed his eyes to hold back his tears. At one point in his life, no one but Chewbacca would endure such torture and hardship for him. And now this girl in his arms loved him so much that she'd again risk her life for him. And then there was Luke, and he reluctantly admitted, Lando—but Lando had a lot to make up for. How his life had changed. And just in six months. Six months he missed.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Han opened his eyes. "For what?"

"If I didn't try to convince you to stay…if you didn't come back to the Command Center for me…"

Han kissed the top of her head. "Then who would've rescued me from Jabba?"

"I…" Leia inhaled and then admitted, "General Reikken was the one to ground all ships until the shields were in place, but…I agreed with him, pushed him to make that choice."

He smiled into her hair. "I knew you had something to do with that. You couldn't let me go."

"I—" she started to say, to hit him back with a sharp remark, but then she stopped herself. "No, I couldn't," she whispered.

They were quiet for a moment. Leia was surprised that she would admit to the arrogant, egotistical Han Solo that she needed him back on Hoth, that she needed him now. How things have changed.

Then Leia quietly asked, "What was it like…in the carbonite?"

Han sighed into her hair. "Let's save that for another day. I'd rather not remember now."

"I'm almost afraid to go to sleep." She yawned. "I used to have dreams that…that you were back, that you were with me. And then I would wake…" The princess paused. "Maybe all this is a dream."

"I'm here. And I'll be here when you wake up." Han whispered into her ear. "I promise."

Leia picked up the hand that was wrapped around her, kissed the back of it, and replaced his arm around her once again.

Han Solo was afraid to fall asleep himself for the same reason Leia was. What if all this was his mind playing tricks on him again, like it did when he was in the carbonite? But his senses were alive, her smell, the feel of her skin, her body heat that penetrated him, this had to be real and not a trick. Still, Han didn't want to close his eyes and have her disappear. He lay there just holding her and let the night pass by.


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6:

Luke Skywalker walked into Kenobi's home, went straight to the bedroom and opened the window. Although the house was adequately sealed, a light dusting of sand covered the windowsill and side table. Tatooine nights could get cold—were usually cold—but the breeze flowing into the room felt good to him. He stood at the window, closed his eyes, and savored the wind's light touch. When Leia was staying with him, she preferred the window closed. But that was not surprising; she didn't grow up on this desolate planet and wasn't used to the crisp nights. Luke smiled at the thought of her. She was happy—he could feel the giddiness inside her through her fatigue—and Luke was delighted that she finally could find joy again. He had never seen her so carefree before. Of course, he met her after the destruction of Alderaan where she lost all of her family and friends, her whole world, and everything she knew. It made him feel good that she had not lost the capacity for elation.

But despite her happiness, despite their victory over Jabba the Hutt today, Luke felt a sense of sorrow. Was it the loss of Leia? With Han's return, her time will be occupied with him. No, that wasn't it. Luke's romantic feelings for her died long ago. Maybe it was never romantic love at all. He felt a deep connection with her. She was his confidant, his most trusted friend. His soul. But he did not have romantic feelings for her in the least. He could not explain his love for her, his connection. All that he knew was that it ran deep inside him.

And although Han's return would take up more of Leia's attention. Luke felt no jealousy in the least. He was as just as overjoyed over Han's return as Leia. He missed Solo as much as Leia did, and things did not feel right in his life without the Han in it. Over the last six months, the Jedi mourned the loss of his friend and blamed himself because it was his un-Jedi like impulsiveness to try to save the smuggler and Leia from a hazy fate that even Yoda could not predict that brought on Leia's and Han's dire fate and his need to be rescued by Leia and Chewie. Would Han have been frozen in carbonite had Luke not come? As many times he replayed the senario with different actions on his part, Luke had no answer to that question. Han and Leia endured Vader's torture to lure Luke to Cloud City, but it was unlikely they would have been killed if Luke did not come as he once thought. They were too valuable to the Dark Lord. And too valuable to Luke. Vader knew that. He could easily read Luke's emotions before Luke was trained by Yoda when the aspiring Jedi crossed paths with the Dark Lord over the three years before Hoth. And even after Yoda trained him, a rash and impetuous Luke had no control of his emotions when he battled Vader on Cloud City.

Did he now? Or would he reveal his weakness to his enemy as easily as he did on Cloud City?

The Jedi sat down on the bed. His attachment to Han and Leia could be used against him by Darth Vader or the Emperor. Vader had already exploited Luke's feelings for his friends once. Han used to tell Luke that attachments were a liability; caring required responsibility. Love made it easier for enemies to strike you. Attachments were not only dangerous for Jedi. Of course, it would be easy to force a Jedi to the Dark Side if a Sith Lord were to use a Jedi's attachments against him. Luke failed the test the first time; he couldn't fail the next time if his path crossed Vader's or the Emperor's. He had better control of his emotions for Leia and Han now. He was able to detach when he needed to. He proved that when he confronted Jabba. But could he pass if he were to battle Darth Vader again?

Luke looked down at his right hand where the wires and permametal bones in his prosthetic limb were exposed from being shot on Jabba's pleasure barge. He moved his fingers and opened and closed his fists as he watched the inner workings of his hand. He was fascinated and repulsed at the same time. No one had seemed to notice it at dinner, or if they did they said nothing. He expected Leia would have caught the "wound" on the back of his hand, but she was wrapped up in Han.

Skywalker went over to his belongings and pulled out his black leather gloves. He dropped the left one and pulled the right one over his prosthetic hand. He then lay down the bed and stared at his black-gloved hand. He open and closed his fist, turned his hand this way and that, thinking about the wires and permametal bones.

 _He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil._

Was Ben right when he spoke those words about Luke's father? The iniquitous Sith Lord, Darth Vader, his father. Not the brilliant pilot and great man Ben had first told him inside this very house. If it was true, Ben lied to him.

 _It cannot be true_. _Vader could not be his father._ But as that thought came to him, the Jedi's stomach churned. He could deny it all he wanted, but he was certain Vader told him the truth: Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader, the epitome of evil. He had Vader's blood running through him. Did that mean he was destined to become like his father?

Luke did believe, however, that his father was once the man whom Kenobi claimed him to be, a brilliant pilot, a great man, and Ben's friend. Luke could feel that much was true. Vader _had_ to be good at one time in his life. Maybe his father was redeemable? The Jedi did not know.

Skywalker stared at the sand-smooth ceiling looking for images in the imperfections and dents as he tried to put his roots out of his mind. He would soon return to Dagobath, and Yoda would have the answers Luke needed. Luke closed his eyes and replayed the day's victories. He had the skills of a Jedi, but was he a Jedi? Skywalker did not know. He still had to finish his training with Yoda.

Luke pushed such thoughts away, and his mind traveled to seeing Han for the first time, pushed out the image of Leia as Jabba's slave, their victory over Jabba, and savored the meal he share with his friends. How his friends laughed and talked, ate and drank as if there was nothing wrong in the universe. Within moments, Luke fell fast asleep.

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Leia Organa fought against consciousness. She was warm and cozy lying on her side and entangled in the fluffy comforter in Han Solo's bed. She slept well, heavy, and through the entire night, something she had not done in years. Something she had not done since before Alderaan. It was not as if she had forgotten the destruction of Alderaan or the loss of her beloved father. That would always remain with her, and their memories still tugged at her heart daily. There was no getting back Alderaan, her father, or her old life. They had been taken away forever.

Leia had thought Han had been taken from her forever, but he was given back to her. He was with her now.

Leia rolled over onto her back and stretched her hand out next to her. That side of the bed was empty and cold. Her heart leapt into her throat and dropped into her stomach; Han was not there. Was this another cruel dream? Had she just had the most elaborately detailed and realistic nightmare she ever had? Or was it lasting effects of that purple fizzy drink that Jabba made his lackeys pour down her throat? Did she just hallucinate Jabba's palace, the battle, the chain digging into the Hutt's fat neck? Was she hallucinating now?

Leia sat up, grabbed the pillow next to hers, pressed it against her face, and inhaled. There was a hint of Han, but the scent of her shampoo overpowered his smell. She leaned against the bulkhead and brought her knees to her chest and her respiration began to speed up.

 _Slow breaths_ , the princess reminded herself, inhaling and exhaling deeply and as slow as possible.

Leia felt dizzy and disoriented. She wanted to find Chewie, to find comfort in his arms, but she could not move. She was frozen where she was. The door of Han's cabin was closed, increasing her anxiety. She felt trapped as if she were back in the cell on the Death Star. Maybe that was where she was, back on the Death Star being tortured by Darth Vader. Were the last three years and how many months just a method Vader used to torture her? Leia felt as if she were going crazy. With her hope seeping away, she felt disoriented and close to breaking. She closed her eyes as she fought to hold back her tears. She would not cry.

Then the door slid open, and Leia dared to open her large brown eyes. Han was standing in the doorway with a tray in his hands.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Han greeted her. Then he noticed the tears caught in her lashes. He crossed the room, placed the tray on the side table next to the bed, and sat down in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Unable to speak, Leia shook her head and gazed at him from behind the pillow that she still held to her face. Han scooted closer to her, ran his hand along her cheek, and pushed locks of her hair behind her ear.

"Come on, you can tell me."

 _You can tell Luke, is that who you can tell?_ Han's words while she lay paralyzed lying on the gritty floor enduring intense pain at Jabba's palace. What did he do after he said that, walk away?

"Leia…." Solo took her face into his hands. "Please."

His hands were warm against her chin, her cheeks. When he spoke those words when she was paralyzed and at Jabba's mercy, Han didn't touch her; he walked away. She lowered the pillow and put her hand over his to assure herself that he was more than a hallucination. She sighed. He was no hallucination; Han was here with her.

"Bad dream," she whispered.

"Alderaan?" Han leaned in and peered into her large brown eyes.

Leia nodded.

Come 'ere." Solo took her arms and gently pulled her towards him.

The princess walked on her knees across the bed, threw her arms around him when Han let go of her arms, and buried her head in his chest. He embraced her with one hand cradling the back of her head. No longer able to hold back, she allowed her tears to flow, soaking Han's shirt. He held her like this until she calmed down. When she finally was able to control her emotions, Leia slowly pulled back and kept her eyes averted as if she was ashamed.

"Sorry."

It may have been Han whom she lost control of her emotions. It wasn't the first time or the third or fourth—she had cried in front of him during their trip to Bespin—but it had been so long that Leia was not used to breaking down like this.

"No need to be sorry."

She slowly raised her eyes to him. "It wasn't Alderaan," she whispered.

Han cupped her chin and erased the traces of her tears on her cheeks with his thumb. "What was it?"

 _You can tell Luke, is that who you can tell?_

Leia wanted to tell him; she didn't want him to walk away from her. Would the real Han walk away from her? He never had in the past, only when they were arguing, not when she was this upset. The princess inhaled. Although she it would be difficult and she did not want to burden Han to know he was the reason she was upset, she chose to tell him anyway. "I thought I was back on the Death Star, and the last three years, yesterday were just a way Vader was torturing me."

"Thought or dreamt?"

The princess's eyes shifted from his. "Thought." She shook her head. "I think it's just residuals from whatever Jabba made me drink." She expelled a breath. "When I woke up…you weren't here. I thought…"

Han pulled her back into his embrace, and rested his head on the top of hers. "I'm sorry. You looked so peaceful, and you were so deep asleep. I've never seen you sleep so deeply. I didn't want to wake you." He let her go, reached over to the tray, and grabbed one of the cups. "Here, I brought you some kaffe."

"Did Chewie make it?" Leia asked as she looked into the cup and wrinkled her nose.

"I made it."

"Good. Chewie makes the kaffe too weak and watery." She took a sip from the steaming cup.

Han chuckled. "I remember." He then twisted around and grabbed a bowl off of the tray. "I made you something to eat."

Leia smiled as she studied the muesli, her favorite thing to eat. Han scooped up a spoonful and slipped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. She hadn't eaten muesli since before Cloud City, since before Han was taken from her.

When she opened her large brown eyes, the princess found Han smiling at her. He scooped some into his mouth before giving her another spoonful.

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Luke Skywalker walked into the _Millennium Falcon's_ and tentatively stepped into cockpit donning his X-Wing pilot suit. Inside the cockpit Han Solo was prepping the ship for takeoff. The smuggler was worried that the sandstorm damaged the delicate workings of the temperamental freighter, and he were testing the systems. When they heard Luke come in, he turned to look at kid who was no longer a kid.

"Are you sure you don't want to ditch your X-wing and come with us?" Han asked.

"I can't. I have unfinished business to take care of."

Han waited for more of an explanation from Luke, but the Jedi did not elaborate.

"Shine it off," Han pushed.

Luke smiled a smile tinged with a touch of shame and adverted his secretive blue eyes. "I can't. But I'll meet up with you all at the rendezvous point."

Leia walked into the cockpit. Her face, arms, and clothes were smudge with grease, and a light layer of sand stuck to the grease. "I got most of the sand out of engine. Should run fine."

Han smiled at her. He could tell she rubbed her nose because the tip of it had a spot of grease. He left that spot alone and tried to remove a grease stain from her cheek. "Chewie and Lando still on top?"

"Yeah."

"What about the droids?"

"Threepio's a little frustrated—"

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot. I think I caught a few curse words come out of his mouth. The _Falcon's_ being temperamental, but I think Artoo has it under control."

"That's reassuring," Han quipped.

Leia then noticed Luke in his orange jumpsuit and her face lost all its levity. Han noticed how her face fell when her large brown eyes fell upon Luke.

"We can't change your mind?"

"I'm sorry, Leia, but you know I have to do this." Luke raised his eyes to hers. "If I didn't have to I would come with you"

"Do you want us to go with you?" Han asked. "Darth Vader's still after you, and I don't think he'll stop until he finds you."

"Thanks," Luke smiled at Han. "But this is something I gotta do on my own."

Han put his hands on his hips, pressed his lips together, and nodded.

Leia stepped toward Luke and kissed his cheek. "Well, hurry. The Alliance should be assembled by now."

"I promise I'll make it back in time." Luke took her hand with his gloved one.

Leia looked down at their entwined hands. Her breath caught in her throat, and she paled.

 _Embrace your anger. Remember it. Use it._ Darth Vader's words to her while she was lying on the floor of the palace at Jabba's mercy before the Dark Lord took her hand in his black gloved one.

 _You're strong. You've always been strong._ Luke's words as she looked up to see Vader morphed into Luke, Luke's hand black-gloved Like Vader's.

The Jedi noticed her reaction and her fear ran through him as if it were a lost ghost walking through his body. It chilled him, and Luke had a flash of her vision. It caught him by surprised, and his own fear manifested in his chest, the fear of falling to the Dark Side and becoming like his father. Did Leia foresee the future? Would he succumb to the Emperor's desires?

The princess was intoxicated with the elixir Jabba the Hutt gave her when she had that vision. Perhaps it was just a hallucination. She told him that she hallucinated but didn't elaborate on what she saw. Perhaps her mind was making associations…but he wasn't wearing the glove until last night, long after her ordeal at Jabba's hands.

Luke had never given it much thought about how Leia sensed him when he called as he hung from the weather antenna under Cloud City. He had much bigger thoughts in his head, like Darth Vader being his father, his Jedi training, and the mistakes he made when he went after Han and Leia despite Yoda and Ben Kenobi's warnings.

Skywalker always had a special connection to the princess that was established almost instantly the he walked into her cell on the Death Star. He always chalked it up to their "adventure" on the monstrous space station as they escaped, the rescue Luke poorly planned rescue that Leia finished. That experience not only bonded him to Leia, but to Han too, but with Leia….How could she sense him calling to her?

Through the Force, of course. But was it just on Luke's part? Would he have been able to contact Han in the same manner? Or was she Force sensitive? Did she sense his relations to Darth Vader? Or was it only because of their unique connection that had grown deeper since then?

"I got shot when fighting off Jabba's thugs," Luke explained to push those thoughts out of his head. She just had an hallucination. "I thought I'd freak out people less if they couldn't see the wires and permametal bones in my prosthetic."

"Definitely," Han said just to say something. He noticed the odd behavior between the two and was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Well, I should get going," Luke reluctantly announced. If he hadn't promised Yoda that he would return, he would have gladly ditched his X-Wing (thought the Alliance might have not been too happy about that) and traveled to the rendezvous point with his friends.

Luke put out his hand to Han, and Han took it and pulled him into an embrace, held him for a moment, and then pulled back without releasing Luke's hand. "Make sure you make it back in one piece. Contact us if you run into any trouble."

"I will." Luke let go of Han's hand.

Then the Jedi turned to Leia. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaning forward to match her petite height, he wrapped his around her waist. He pulled her close, and she closed her large brown eyes. This would be the first time they would be parted for a length of time. She was so used to having him with her, and she felt lost just thinking about his absence.

It pained Luke, too, to think of their separation, but he had to fulfill his promise to Yoda. Luke closed his large blue eyes and took in the feel of her, the comfort Leia provided for him. He did not know how long he would be gone, but he suspected longer than a few weeks. He might not even make it back to the Alliance as he promised Leia, but he couldn't tell her that.

Han looked on at the pair feeling uneasy. Solo had been gone a long time—which he still had trouble understanding—and Chewie told him that Luke and Leia had spent a lot of time together while he was gone when she wasn't fulfilling her duties to the Alliance, running smuggling jobs for the rebels with the Wookie, or hanging out with Chewie himself.

But Leia _had_ left the Alliance _for him_. Was that out of guilt? Her sense of duty to her friends? She had a strong sense of loyalty.

Leia pulled back and Luke kissed her forehead. "Take care," he told her. "And take care of Han."

"I will," Leia answered in all seriousness though Luke was joking.

Han raised an eyebrow at Luke. "She needs more carin' for than me. If I remember right, Her Worshipfulness has a knack on getting herself into trouble."

"I do not, you nerf herder!"

"You need her," Luke softly spoke as he looked Han into Han's hazel eyes, "like she needs you."

"Yeah, yeah." Han waved his hand then maneuvered the conversation away from such seriousness. Don't you have somewhere to go?"

Luke laughed. "I'll see you soon. Tell Chewie and Lando bye for me."

"We will."

Luke walked backwards out of the cockpit, first taking in Han and then Leia as if it were the last time he would see them. He turned and went to collect Artoo for their journey to Dagobath.

Han and Leia remained silent in the cockpit. Han looked upon Leia while she stared at the cockpit doorway where Luke just left.

He frowned. "We should get goin' ourselves." He pulled out his comlink and called Lando and Chewie in.

"I do not understand why those computers must fight with each other constantly," Threepio complained as he entered the cockpit.

"You better not have upset them," Han gave the droid a meaningful look.

"I didn't, Captain Solo. I am a protocol droid and have been programmed with the utmost amount of patience."

Han and Leia exchanged looks. Threepio patient?

Chewbacca and Lando came in. "We've cleared most of the sand," Lando reported. "We should be good to go."

Chewie garfuawed.

Outside the windshield of the cockpit, Han watched Luke's X-Wing disturb the sand and lift off the ground. He then took his rightful place: his pilot's seat. Chewie squeezed past Lando and Leia and took up the co-pilot's seat. Leia programmed in the coordinates of the rendezvous point from the navigator's seat while Lando took the seat across from Leia and strapped himself in. Threepio stayed standing behind the seats.

"We're good to go."

"I can't wait to get back," Threepio's shrilly voice announced.

"There's nothin' wrong with the hyper drive, is there?" Han shot a look at Lando.

"It's running perfectly fine." Lando gave him a nervous smile.

Han glared at Lando for a moment more before turning his attention to the controls of the _Falcon_. The ship roared to life, lifted off the ground, and picked up speed as it headed towards open space. Han smiled. _This_ was something he missed, something that gave him a sense of time past. It did feel like a long time since he flew her. He couldn't help but do some fancy flying though no one pursued them—much to Threepio's dismay.

Leia leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you're done having fun—"

"Yeah, yeah." Han straightened out the ship. "Ready for light speed, Chewie?"

Chewbacca roared.

"Okay, punch it."

Solo half expected the ship to whine and remain at sub-light speed, but the _Millennium Falcon_ smoothly jumped forward, and soon the stars were streaking by, casting a blue hue on its occupants.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7:

The _Millennium Falcon_ gracefully glided out of light speed and into open space. They neared Sullust, a planet marred by red veins of lava flow from the many volcanos on the surface that had created a noxious atmosphere and made the surface of the planet unlivable, forcing its habitants to create a biodiverse environment underground.

"Interesting choice for a base," Han commented.

"A good choice for a base," Lando added. "Underground. That would make things difficult for the Empire."

"Actually, Sullust was taken over by SoroSuub after the fall of—" Threepio began to explain.

" SoroSuub corporation gave their full support to the Empire after the government fell, and they pledged their support to the Empire in exchange for lucrative contracts," Leia, who now wore the Alliance uniform explained.

"Poor choice for a base," Lando conceded.

"Sullust is the endpoint of the Sanctuary Pipeline."

Chewbacca growled.

"A rebel force team rescued a SoroSuub chairman of the board from Imperial detention." Leia stood up and placed her hands on the back of Han's seat. "They also have their own resistance movement led by Sian Tevv, but they've remained independent of the Alliance. They're allowing us to use Sullust as the staging point of our offensive attack."

"Offensive attack?" Han asked.

All eyes fell on Leia. She grimly pressed her lips together and gazed out the windshield. "The Empire has started constructing a new Death Star."

"Another Death Star," Lando breathed.

Han raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they learn their lesson the first time?"

Chewie grumbled.

"This one's not complete and not operational yet," Leia said.

"Even better," Han quipped.

"The Alliance is amassing the fleet in Sullust's orbit."

Chewie garawffed and growled catching the ship's occupant's attention. Two Sullust fighter ships approached the _Falcon_ , flanking the larger ship on each side.

"Looks like the welcoming committee is here."

Leia moved to stand between the pilot's and co-pilot's seat to get better access to the com.

"Unidentified freighter, you are approaching a restricted area. You are advised to change course."

Leia leaned forward and pressed the com. "I'm here to see General Reikken."

There was silence for a moment. "Unidentified Freighter, identify yourself."

Han exchanged a look with Leia. "It's safe to use the _Falcon's_ real transponder code."

Chewbacca concurred with a grumble.

Solo held Leia's large brown eyes as he broadcasted the transponder code of his beloved ship.

" _Millennium Falcon, state your business._ "

"We're here on official Alliance business," Leia answered.

"What's the passcode?"

"OL72190."

There was silence from the other end.

"They probably have changed the passcode," Lando pointed out.

"I'm certain they have," Leia said. "I used my personal code. Reikken will know it's me."

"Let's hope Reikken is around," Han muttered as silence filled the cockpit.

Finally, the fighter ship answered back, "General Reikken told me to tell you welcome back. We will escort you in."

"Thank you."

"I'd feel better if those were X-Wings out there."

Chewbacca shared his thoughts on the Sullust fighters.

Leia ran her hand down Han's arm, caught his hand like she had done with Luke. "Chewie's right. They're our allies."

"It'll be nice to get back to civilization." Lando leaned back in his chair with a smile.

Han, Leia, and Chewie looked at the former baron.

"Obviously, you've never been on a rebel base," Han said.

Lando's smile faded.

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As they disembarked the _Millennium Falcon_ , General Carlist Reikken stood a few meters away from the ship's ramp. Behind him stood a squad of military police and a handful of the Alliance's best techs. Leia bit the inside of her lip; they were obviously worried about Chewbacca overpowering them.

"This isn't good," Han leaned over and said into Leia's ear as they descended down the ramp.

"They weren't exactly happy that I left," Leia answered back.

"Your Highness," Reikken stepped forward, kissed the princess's cheek, and embraced her once she reached the bottom of the ramp. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm fine." Leia smiled at the general.

All though there was a twinkle in her eyes, there was something there underneath her obvious happiness that contradicted her answer. Reikken smiled at her, turned his attention to Han, and held out his hand to the smuggler. "Captain Solo, it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Han shook the general's hand.

Then he shook hands with Chewbacca. "I'm glad your mission was successful."

"General," Leia held out her hand toward Lando. "This is Lando Calrissian."

"The former Baron of Cloud City," Han mockingly interjected.

The princess ignored the smuggler. "He's the one who helped us escape from Vader on Cloud City."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Lando held out his hand to the general.

The older man shook Lando's hand, "And you. We feared we lost Her Highness and the rest of you for good."

"We almost lost Han," Leia reminded him.

"General." Threepio stepped forward. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Threepio." The general smiled at the droid. "Where's Commander Skywalker?"

"He had to take care of something. He'll be back soon."

"So what's with the welcoming party?" Han asked as he placed his hands on his waist.

Reikken looked over his shoulder and then turned back to the group. "I'm sorry, but the High Command considers the princess AWOL."

Leia's brow lowered, "But I told them I was leaving."

"You didn't actually have their permission."

 _Didn't actually have the High Command's_ _permission…._ Han stood with his mouth slightly open as he absorbed the general's words. Leia had come after him _without_ the High Command's permission. Chewbacca had told him about Leia leaving the Alliance to come after him, but Han never considered that she would do it against the High Command's wishes. The Alliance and their success what all she lived for. His hazel eyes fell upon Leia; she gave all that up _for him._

At the same time, Leia's actions frightened him. No one besides Chewie—who gave up his family life because of his life debt to Han—had sacrificed so much for him. This was not something Han was familiar with, people making sacrifices for him. Luke and Lando—with his old pal Chewie—came to Han's rescue, but they did not sacrifice as much as Leia did. Han always saw the Alliance as Leia's life, and he believed she would put it above her feelings for him. She spent her whole life preparing for her place in the rebellion. But she gave it up _for him_. What did that mean? Could he sacrifice so much for her?

"I told them I would return."

Chewbacca rumbled and grumbled.

"Chewie is asking about the MPs and techs," Leia translated.

"Not my idea," Reikken said. "The techs need to search your ship for tracking beacons."

"No one's searchin' my ship." Han's stance became protective and a touch hostile.

Leia turned to the smuggler and put a hand on the arm that was posed over his blaster. "Let them do it. If anyone put a homing device on the ship—"

"No one's tracking my ship, Your Worshipfulness." Han jutted out his chin.

The princess rolled her large brown eyes. "Where have I heard that before, _Captain_?"

"Jabba the Hutt is known to have done business with the Imperials," Reikken cut in. "It's just a safety precaution."

Han thought about it for a moment as he looked into Leia's face. He huffed, "Fine, but I'm staying behind to make sure they don't move anything." He then nodded toward the MPs. "So whadda 'bout them?"

Reikken glanced at the six MPs. "I'm afraid that they are here to arrest the princess."

Han stepped in front of her and drew his blaster. "Over my dead body."

The MPs drew their blasters. "Lower your blaster, Captain Solo."

Chewbacca roar was threatening.

"I thought these guys were your friends," Lando nervously stated.

"Guess I was wrong."

"Captain Solo—"

"It takes six of ya' to arrest one tiny princess?" Han still held up his blaster.

"I'm sorry, Solo," Reikken apologized. "The High Command anticipated your resistance."

"They know me so well."

"I tried to convince them otherwise, but they think I'm biased."

"Because of your relationship with Leia and acceptance of me."

"I'm afraid so."

Leia stepped in front of Han, faced him, and put her hand on his blaster. "It'll be okay."

"After all you've done for the Alliance, and they treat you like this?"

"They said there would be consequences if I left," she quietly told him. "Let the MPs do their job."

"Lower your weapon, Captain Solo," the MP that addressed him earlier demanded once again, a man Han recognized. "Please."

Han's eyes met Leia's large brown eyes. She did not have fear in her eyes, but there was apprehension. He pressed his lips together, gave her a meaningful look but lowered his blaster and returned it to his holster.

"We're gonna have to arrest you."

"I don't think that's necessary, Corporal," Reikken interjected.

"I'm sorry, General." The Corporal looked uncomfortable. "High Command orders. I am to arrest anyone who interfers in the princess's arrest."

"All of you, on your knees and put your hands on your heads," a female MP ordered.

Still looking into Leia's face, Han's hazel eyes widened and retracted.

"Just do it," Leia entreated.

Han frowned at the princess but complied. Four MPs stepped forward. One took Han's blaster while the others searched Chewie and Lando.

"Corporal," Leia interceded. "Mr. Calrissian and Chewbacca have not interfered."

"The princess needs to be secure, sir."

The Corporal gave a look of apology as he stepped forward and secured cuffs on the princess's wrist.

"This isn't necessary, Corporal," Reikken stepped forward.

"Lando and Chewie did nothin'," Han reiterated Leia's observance as the female MP locked his hands in cuffs behind his back.

Another MP cuffed Lando while a third and fourth arrested Chewbacca. One trained a blaster on the Wookie's head and the other took his hairy hands and began cuffing him. Chewbacca emitted a low, threatening growl that shook the MPs confidence, but it didn't prevent them from following through on their orders.

"I'm sorry, sir," the Corporal looked contrite. "I wish I didn't have to do this, but I was given orders direct from Colonel Gillis."

Reikken's face darkened. "I understand."

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Trapped in an cold black-walled room on Cloud City, locked up behind bars in Jabba the Hutt's dungeon and now Han found himself, once again, being detained in another detention center by the Alliance no less. Being freed from carbonite had brought him no freedom so far. Han angrily paced the length off his new prison.

"Would you relax?" Lando asked. "I'm sure this will all be straightened out."

Han ignored him. "This is gettin' really old," he muttered.

"What?"

"Locked in a prison and worrin' about Leia."

Chewbacca wharruffed in agreement.

Han felt as if the walls were closing in on him, and a memory of the trash compactor on the Death Star flashed through his mind. It was getting hard to breathe. Solo sat down on the bench, rested his elbows on his knees, and held his head in his hands. His vision was closing in on him, and his heart thumped against his chest. Sweat began to drip down his back.

Chewie harruffed.

Han leaned back against the wall as his vision came back. "Nothin'."

Chewbacca's steely blue eyes stayed on his friend.

"I'm fine," Han said a little too forcefully.

 _Not Cloud City. Not Tatooine. Sullust. With the rebel,_ Han reminded himself. _Allegedly his friends and allies._ Han ran his hands down his thighs to wipe away the sweat. The High Command wouldn't hurt Leia, and there would be no need to be rescued. _Friends, indeed._

Chewie grumbled, wharffed, and hawed.

"No, I don't need to rest." Han looked away from Lando to stare down his best friend. "Besides, how do you know I didn't sleep last night?"

The Wookie whoorawffed.

"Mind your own coffee intake, you furry lug," Han snapped. And then he added, "Leia couldn't sleep. I stayed up with her." There was no way he would tell Chewie that it was he who could not sleep, that he was afraid to go to sleep only to find himself still frozen in carbonite. As it was, their present situation felt like a bad dream that just wasn't going to end.

"How long have you been with the rebels?" Lando asked.

"I'm not."

"No wonder they're treating you like an enemy."

Chewie growled and rumbled.

"Three years?" Lando questioned. "It sounds like you're one of them."

"I just did some smuggling for them," Han countered. "Chauffuered Leia around."

Chewbacca raygrued.

"And some missions."

"Sounds like you're a rebel, Han."

"I'm not," Han protested a little too forceful. "I just did some jobs for 'em. I needed to pay off Jabba."

"And you stayed three years."

Chewie aaarruuued.

"You had enough credits to pay off Jabba three years ago and you gave _back_ the reward you got for rescuing Leia?" Lando asked incredulously.

"Maybe that was a mistake," Han muttered even though he did not believe it. His thoughts turned to Leia. The High Command was probably questioning her—they wouldn't torture her—but that didn't bring Han any comfort.

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Princess Leia sat with her back rod straight, her chin lifted, and her large brown eyes defiant. She was in the interrogation room, not far from Han, she was certain, but she might as well have been kilometers away. She could only imagine his anger over the way they all were being treated; the Alliance was supposed to be their sanctuary. But here they were, once more someone's prisoner, once again being interrogated by the Head of Intelligence, Colonel Ornell Gillis, no less. Leia had been in this position before, after she returned to Yavin with the plans of the Death Star, and was considered a hero. A "debriefing", they considered it. But debriefings usually took place in the Command meeting room and by the High Command. Leia was in an interrogation room. They were punishing her for her defiance.

The glanced up at the camera embedded near the ceiling in the corner of the room pointed at her. No doubt the members of the High Command were observing her.

"You understand why you're charged with AWOL," Admiral Gillis asked.

"No," the princess answered. "I made the High Command well aware of my leave."

"You did not have their blessing."

"I did what I had to do."

"And now I'm doing what I have to do." Gillis gave her an unfriendly smile.

That was what Leia hated about Colonel Ornell Gillis; he took great pleasure in interrogating his subjects, and it was rumored that he could be….enthusiastic when obtaining information from his prisoners. And at the moment, Leia felt like a prisoner, though she doubted he would resort to his usual methods of obtaining information. There was no need for that since it was just a "debriefing".

"You were a member of the High Command, and aware of Alliance assembling her on Sullust, yet you chose to leave."

"Yes."

"Your input as a High Command leader was needed, especially since you have had the most experience in the field." Gillis pointed out. "This should have been your priority."

"A man's life was on the line. I couldn't just abandon him."

"From my understanding, Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo's friends went to Tatooine to rescue him."

"I'm a friend of Captain Solo."

" _And_ you were a member of the High Command." Gillis' voice rose.

"Captain Solo saved my life more than once and helped destroy the Death Star, Colonel." Leia lifted her chin. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here _and_ most of the Alliance would have been wiped out on Yavin."

"You let your emotions get in the way of your priorities." Gillis tisked as if he was speaking to a child. "This, I understand, was very unlike you." He rubbed his bulbous nose. "You left at a crucial time for the Alliance, and this hindered our plans to stage an offense against the Empire."

"I am but one person. The offensive would go on without me, and it is."

"Again, your experience in the field was needed. We lost many Bothan spies in the process. Imagine the torture they would have suffered at the hands of the Imperials before their deaths had they not taken their own lives when captured."

The princess shuddered as she remembered her own interrogation by Darth Vader. "What could I have done to save them?"

"A lot." Gillis leaned back and stared meaningful into her eyes. "But that time has passed."

Leia remained quiet, and Gillis watched her as his words sunk in. He created a peak with his fingers underneath one of his chins.

Although a prick of guilt stabbed her heart, she kept her countenance neutral. "As you said. Time has passed. When does the interrogation begin?"

"Princess, we're just having a conversation." Gillis offered her an unfriendly smile. "You know it's protocol to debrief those who have been in the hands of our enemies."

"Enemies?"

"Jabba the Hutt is a known associate of the Empire."

"He _was_ a lowly crime lord that would do business with anyone if it brought him profit and favor."

"He provided arms and bounty hunters for the Imperials that have hunted down our special forces and spies."

 _And Han and me._ "Bounty hunters are independent contractors," Leia pointed out.

"Nevertheless, Jabba is considered an Alliance enemy." Gillis tilted his head to the right.

"There's no need to worry about him anymore." The princess glanced down at her hands, remembering how the chain around her neck dug into her hands as she strangled her captor.

"Tell me, how did you manage to infiltrate Jabba's realm? I heard it was greatly fortified."

"Commander Skywalker came up with the plan." Leia looked up at the Colonel, but her eyes were far away as she thought of her friend, wondering where he was, if he was safe, if Vader had caught up to him yet.

"Commander Skywalker is still AWOL. Do you know where he is?"

Leia glared at Gillis.

"You know."

Revealing Luke's whereabouts—or rather, what he was doing—would save him from such a debriefing when he returned. The mention of Jedi always elated those who remember the Old Republic, and Colonel Gillis was old enough to remember. "He's completing his training as a Jedi."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"You two are close, Princess. I cannot believe he didn't tell you."

"He didn't, but I assure you, when he returns he'll be a true Jedi."

The Colonel tapped the tips of his fingers together as he studied the princess. Unwavering, Leia held his gaze. Once the Colonel decided he was satisfied with that answer, he returned to his earlier line of questioning. "What was Commander Skywalker's plan?"

"We each infiltrated Jabba's palace at different times." The princess informed Gillis. "Chewbacca and I got in by pretending I was a bounty hunter and Chewbacca, my prisoner. My job was to free Captain Solo from the carbonite."

"And you succeeded."

"Yes." Leia's eyes slipped to the table as she remembered how helpless Han had been, how she failed to get him out on her own.

"But?"

She pressed her lips together, and looked up at the camera in the corner of the room. Gillis's eyes followed hers. "The members of the High Command won't interfer. They're the ones who insisted on this debriefing."

 _There will be consequences to your actions,_ Mon Montha had told her.

Gillis sensed there were things that the princess did not want to tell him and gave her a moment to soak in his words in the hopes that it would make her feel trapped, helpless.

"And then what happened? You escape?"

"No," she quietly said.

"No?"

"We were captured," she admitted. "Han was taken away."

"And you? We're you interrogated?"

Leia's stomach churned. "No."

"No?" Gillis leaned forward and peered into the princess's face. "What is it you don't want to tell me?" The princess said nothing. "Tell me, Princess."

She looked up at the camera again, her eyes filled with shame.

"If you weren't interrogated—"

"I was drugged," she blurted out, narrowing her large brown eyes on her current enemy. "I don't remember much."

"Then you could have revealed Alliance secrets. You could have told them about our assembly."

"I didn't."

"That would be information Jabba would certainly sell to the Imperials. How do you know you didn't reveal anything if you don't remember?"

Leia placed her fists on the table and leaned toward Gillis. "Vader couldn't break me. Do you think a lowlife scum crime lord could break me?" Her anger seeped into her voice. "Jabba wasn't interested in the Alliance!"

The Colonel sighed as he took in her words. There was truth to her abilities to resist interrogation. He believed her, but his curiosity pushed him to continue his debriefing of the princess just to see her squirm. He managed to make her reveal her anger; what more would she reveal? "What was Jabba interested in?"

Leia's chest visibly rose and fell. After a moment, she quietly said, "He was only interested in punishing Captain Solo."

The door of the interrogation room zipped open, and General Dodonna walked in. "You're finished, Colonel." The General ignored the Colonel's sour expression and held out a hand to Leia. Princess, come with me."

"It's been a pleasure, Your Highness." Colonel Gillis smiled as she stood.

Leia didn't acknowledge him as she followed General Dodonna out of the room. Her body now trembled, and she hoped no one—especially Gillis—had noticed.

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On Dagobath, Luke Skywalker sat on a log outside of Yoda's home. The old Jedi died from old age, his body fading into nothing, and Luke sought refuge outside Yoda's humble abode near his X-Wing with Artoo. Ben's Force ghost had appeared to him, explaining what the old Jedi Master didn't have time to explain, before Ben, too, faded away. He never felt this alone in his life.

Luke was not a Jedi yet, though he required no more training. He only had to face Darth Vader to become a true Jedi. He only had to kill his father. _I can't kill my own father._

 _Then the Emperor has already won._ Kenobi's words. _You are our only hope._

If he didn't face down his father, kill him, his sister would have to finish what Luke can't. _Leia. Leia's my sister._ Luke had always been the closest person to her, and their bond—which he doubted could be broken—ran deep. Now Luke understood why. He had always felt protective of her, but now he felt even more protective. He could not leave her to take on Vader if he failed to do so.

Darth Vader was his father; Leia was his twin sister. Darth Vader was Leia's father. How would she take this news? After all, it was Vader who tortured her on the Death Star and on Bespin. It was Vader who destroyed her home planet and froze Han in carbonite. If Luke was disgusted and ashamed by his parentage, then how would she feel? He would have to tell her. Or would it be better to keep her in the dark? Telling her was something Luke did not want to do, but she had to know. Besides, she knew him too well to hide anything. As it was, Leia knew Luke was keeping something from her since Bespin. It was like a wedge between them. If he did not tell her about Vader's relationship to him, to her, the wedge would grow, and he needed her now more than ever.

Luke closed his blue eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled. The future held such uncertainty. Could he kill his own father? If he did not, would his father kill him? Vader did not kill Luke on Bespin, though he could have easily done so. Maybe the Dark Lord would have if Luke didn't take that choice away. He chewed his bottom lip. Vader could have killed him well before Luke let go of the post and allowed himself to fall to his expected death. Luke had given the Dark Lord plenty of opportunity before he was sucked out of the broken window in the carbonite chamber.

If Luke was such a threat to Vader and the Emperor, the Sith Lord would have been wise to kill Luke when he had the chance. He could not imagine Darth Vader not making that connection. Luke felt a reluctance in his father, that Vader did not want to kill Luke, and not just because his father wanted to rule the galaxy with him. No, there was something in Darth Vader, maybe the remnants of a beating heart. There was some good in him. There _had_ to be.

Luke could not accept that there was not. If there was no good in him, then Luke had the capacity to fall to the Dark Side. After all, it was Vader's blood that ran through Luke's—and Leia's—veins.

Artoo emitted a series of beeps.

"Yeah." Although Luke did not understand the droid, he made an assumption about what the droid said. Luke stood up. "It's time to return to the Alliance."

Luke helped Artoo into the X-Wing before he climbed into the cockpit. _No. Vader wants me to live_. _His father_ wanted Luke to live. Luke felt certain there was some good left in the Dark Lord, and he believed he was the one to redeem his father.


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8:

It was not long before Han Solo and Chewbacca were released from incarcination. Lando Calrissian's release was delayed because the some members of the High Command wanted to learn more about him and find out where his loyalties lay. Although Lando had a critical part in rescuing Solo, he had not provided any services for the Alliance, and the High Command knew little about the suave man. However, Admiral Ackbar, a member of the Alliance Supreme Allied Commanders, had interacted with smugglers in the past and was aware of rumors about Lando's prowess behind the helm of a ship. The High Command also took in mind C-3PO's recount of Han Solo's rescue and the droids supposedly-neutral opinion of the man. Lando Calrissian would be a great asset to their cause. Hopefully, the man could be convinced to stay on with the Alliance.

Once freed from the detention center, Han's anger and anxiety began to dissipate—even more so when his captors returned his blaster. He and Chewbacca exited the detention center as quickly as possible.

"Chewie, check over the _Falcon_. Make sure those techs didn't do any damage to her," Han ordered his co-pilot. "I'm gonna find Leia."

Chewie roared and headed toward the _Millennium Falcon_ , and with his hands on his hips, he surveyed the corridors of the base. Solo figured Leia was with the High Command and was probably in the Command Center, but he had no idea where that was.

When Dodonna exited the detention center, he found Solo standing in his path with a frustrated look on his face. "Captain Solo," he greeted the smuggler.

Han turned around. "General."

"I assume you're looking for the princess."

"You assumed right," Han answered a little tersely.

"She was just here," Dodonna informed him. "She was assigned personal quarters in the left wing of the base, but she headed towards the hangar when we released her." The general frowned. "She was upset when she left."

"No surprise there."

General Dodonna, his face contrite, looked Solo in the eyes. "I'm terribly sorry about your incarceration and how Princess Leia's debriefing went. If it were my choice, things would have gone much differently."

"Hm." Han softened his stance. He knew the General genuinely cared for the princess and his words were sincere, but Dodonna did nothing to stop it. Maybe he did but was rebuffed by other High Command members. "Who debriefed her?"

"Unfortunately, the High Command thought Colonel Gillis would be best."

Han's brow lowered. "Head of Intelligence? They really thought Leia would hide anything from the Alliance?"

"It is standard procedure when a soldier is imprisoned by an enemy."

"She wasn't _debriefed_ by anyone when we returned from the Death Star."

"Circumstances were different then."

"She didn't leave to rescue someone not a member of the Alliance."

"No, we were in a hurry to evacuate the base and attack the Death Star," Dodonna explained. "She was debriefed at a later time but not by Intelligence."

"I take it she's no longer a member of the High Command?"

"I'm afraid so." Dodonna looked away.

"That's gonna kill her," Han muttered. "I'm gonna go find her."

"That's a very good idea."

The General held out his hand to Han. Solo paused and then shook the man's hand before they parted ways. Then Han headed toward the hangar in search of the princess. As he made his way toward the _Millennium Falcon_ , he was greeted by the techs and pilots scattered through the hangar. Rumors of their escape from Jabba had spread through the base like wildfire, and his well-wishers desired details about his escape from Jabba the Hutt. While normally, Han would have taken the time to entertain them with tales of his daring feats, he had only one thing on his mind: Leia.

"Have you seen the princess?"

"I saw her enter the _Falcon_ ," Wedge Antilles informed him as he approached Han.

"Wedge," Han shook the Rogue Squadron pilot's hand. "It's good to see you."

"And you." He clapped Solo on the back. "Did Luke come back with you?"

"Nah. He said he had unfinished business to take care of."

Wedge's face slightly fell. "Oh."

"He said he'd return soon."

"Hopefully before the offensive."

"Yeah," Han agreed.

"I'm sure you're anxious to see the princess." Wedge gave the techs and pilots a look, and bidding their see-you-laters, they returned to their previous jobs. Wedge lowered his voice. "I talked with her a bit. She seemed normal, but I got the sense she had something on her mind."

"Thanks Wedge." Han put a hand on the pilot's shoulder.

"I'll catch you later, Han." Wedge said over his shoulder as he walked away. "How about a game of Sabaac or a drink later?"

"Sounds good to me."

Han wasted no more time as he headed toward the _Falcon_. There, he found Chewbacca on top of the his beloved ship. "Chewie," he shouted. "Any damage?"

The Wookie shook his head and growled.

"Good. Have you checked the interior?"

Chewie gruawared and gruffed.

"Alright, alright." Han held up his hands. "Get to it when you can."

Chewie mumbled something under his breath.

"I heard that!" Han shouted trotted up the _Falcon's_ ramp.

Once inside, Solo hoped that Leia didn't find some unknown nook on the ship as she had been known to do in the past. Anxious to see her, Han was not in the mood to play hide-and-seek. He decided to check the obvious places first. He headed down the corridor leading to the cockpit. There he found Leia sitting in the pilot's seat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on top of her fist. She had not noticed his presence.

Han walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Leia immediately jumped out of her seat to face the intruder. Her visage visibly relaxed when she saw that it was Han. He noted that she was not wearing the Alliance uniform.

"You okay?"

"Of course." She smiled as she slowed her respiration. "You just startled me."

"Looks more like I scared you." Han started toward her but halted when he noticed her don't-approach-me stance. "I'm sorry," he said as he stuck his thumbs in the loops of his belt.

Leia shrugged. "I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"You wanna talk about it?"

She bit her bottom lip then softly said, "I'd rather forget about it."

Han hid his disappointment. He held out a hand to her, and she readily stepped forward and took it. To his surprise, she dropped his hand and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head on his chest. Han returned her embrace, rested his chin on her head, and traced the coiled braids with his thumb.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

 _It'll be okay_. He had said that to her before, when the _Falcon_ limped its way to Cloud City. _It'll be okay._ But it wasn't, not then, perhaps not now.

"General Dodonna told me you're no longer a member of the High Command."

"I'm okay with that."

Han released her, took her head into his hands, and turned her face up to him. He looked into her large brown eyes. "You sure?"

She was silent for a moment as she gazed into her eyes. Was she really okay with that? At the moment Leia did not care. At the moment, she only cared about Han. "Yeah."

Han believed her, but her eyes were still troubled. Whatever was bothering her was something else. "Anything I can help you with?"

She pulled his head to her and kissed his lips. "I don't know," Leia answered honestly.

Leia rolled her lips between her teeth.

"Tell me what you need from me."

She shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered.

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After Darth Vader met the Emperor's shuttle when his Master landed in the partially constructed Death Star's hangar and they parted ways, the Sith Lord stormed to his private quarters as the Imperial soldiers whom he passed scuttled out of his way. It was not until he reached his quarters and he entered his pod did he allow himself to replay his interaction with the Emperor. His pod closed around him, and he removed his mask.

The former Chancellor Palpatine was a powerful Sith Lord, supposedly more powerful than Vader himself, though Vader would be reluctant to admit it. His powers had grown since the Emperor saved him from certain death on Mustafar and turned him into the mechanical monstrosity. Vader had felt the growth of his powers and believed that they almost matched that of the Emperor. With his son, Luke on his side, he could easily overthrow the Emperor.

 _I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker._

The Emperor had read his mind. Was it because the Emperor, who was growing old, was still strong enough to reach into Vader's well-guarded mind? Or was it Vader's obsession with his son that he could not contain that tipped off the Emperor?

 _In time he will come to you._

The Dark Lord did not foresee his son willingly seeking him out. Why had he not? While there was a time when Vader could reach into Luke's mind, call to him, he had not been successful in repeating that action. He sensed his son had learned to control his emotions and block out Vader's probes into Luke's mind.

 _Like the princess had done when the Sith Lord interrogated her on the first Death Star._ While her defenses against his mind probes were innate and beyond her conscious control, Luke had consciously blocked him out, which made searching for him over the past six months difficult.

 _He will come to me?_

The Emperor had foreseen this, though it had yet come to pass. _Always in motion is the future._ Yoda had once told Vader when he was still Anakin Skywalker and the Chosen One. Although the Emperor's visions were mostly accurate—though not very accurate when it came to the first Death Star—Vader did not completely trust in his visions.

 _In time he will come to you, and when he does, you must bring him to me._

 _Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side._

 _Only together…_ Vader bristled at that thought. The decrepit Emperor, if he was as powerful as Vader once believed him to be, would not need Vader's help to turn Luke to the Dark Side. No, the Emperor was setting the Dark Lord up. There could only be two Sith Lords: the Master and the apprentice. And the apprentice _always_ turns on his Master. The Emperor feared that the time for Vader to fulfill his destiny. He wanted to rid himself of Vader and take Luke as his new apprentice. The Sith Lord's anger flowed through his blood, making him feel powerful. That would not happen. _He_ would turn his son against the Emperor, and together _he_ and his son will rule the galaxy.

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"General Reikken, you wanted to see me?" Princess Leia asked as she entered his office. She paused for a moment when she noticed that Mon Montha was seated in a chair that was pulled up to Reikken's desk. "Hello, Mon Montha."

"Hello, Princess," the older woman greeted her.

"Your Highness, please take a seat," Reikken indicated the chair across from him and Mon Montha with a wave of his hand.

Unsure about the intent of this meeting, the princess hesitated before taking a seat. She sat with her back straight and kept her hands folded on her lap. Were there more "consequences" she would have to face for choosing to save Han over her duties to the rebellion?

"We called you to this meeting to discuss your place in the Alliance," Mon Montha announced.

 _More consequences,_ Leia thought. The High Command seemed intent on punishing her to the fullest.

"Your absence during the most critical time in our planning our offense against the Empire was felt by the High Command. You failed to set a good example." Mon Montha folded her hands on the desk. "What if more of our men and women decided to take leave whenever they felt like it?" She did not wait for the princess to answer. "We need all the man-power we have to defeat the Empire. You know that."

The princess's chin dropped a millimeter, but her expression showed no emotion. "Yes, but I could not leave Captain Solo at the mercy of a crime lord after he had risked so much to save my life on more than one occasion."

"Yes, we are thankful for that."

"If you had sent a team to rescue him—"

"You would have gone anyway," Mon Montha interrupted. "What done has been done, and there is no changing the past. We must move on."

Leia pressed her lips together. The older woman was right, and Leia could not deny it. But if her actions were in the past, why was Mon Montha still reprimanding her?

"You absence could have affected the morale of our soldiers. They look to you for inspiration."

The princess fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I am not the face of the rebellion. Each one of our troops has sacrificed, lost loved ones, and gave up their lives to fight for our cause. Just listen to their stories. They are the _true_ faces of the rebellion."

"Yes, well," Mon Montha dismissed her statement. "General Reikken has brought some things to my attention—and I thank you for that, General. And his revelation is why we asked you here."

Reikken nodded his head to Mon Montha. "As it turns out, Princess, your return after your successful mission rescuing Han Solo, you have actually raised the morale of the troops. You showed you're willingness to risk your life for another man the soldiers see as a member of the Alliance since he has fought beside us over the last three years."

"Yes," Mon Montha agreed. "We're expecting Captain Solo will officially join our ranks."

"I cannot speak on behalf of him," Leia answered. She could not see Han making such a commitment that would require him to follow orders. Han Solo was not a military man.

"Mr. Calrissian has also pledged his alligence to the Alliance, which we are quite grateful for," Reikken informed the princess. "As it turns out he is quite the pilot and most of the feats he brags about are true, as Captain Solo has told us. He has natural leadership qualities. His talents are quite useful to the Rebellion."

"That's wonderful," she said though her mind was still on Han.

"Perhaps you could persuade Captain Solo to formally join the Alliance?" Mon Montha stared into the princess's large brown eyes.

"I have pestered him to join over the last three years. His answer was always 'no'." Leia met Mon Montha's steely blue eyes without wavering. "Han is a free spirit. I've learned to accept that. I won't pressure him."

The older woman stared at the princess for a moment longer.

"We understand," Reikken cut in.

"Of course, we do." Mon Montha broke eye contact with the princess. "Very well. The High Command has decided that you are still an asset to the Alliance."

Reikken smiled at Leia. "They have decided to restore some of your duties."

"However, you can no longer be a member of the High Command."

Leia nodded. "I understand."

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It was early afternoon, but from the underground base, it was difficult to tell night from day, and Han Solo had to rely on the sometimes-faulty chronometers aboard the _Millennium Falcon_. Or on Leia, who regularly wore a chrono-piece on her wrist. But, Leia was not around to ask the time. Lately, instead of tinkering on the _Falcon_ with Han as she did when they first returned, the princess spent her days tending to Alliance business. Although she was no longer a member of the High Command, she still held a high position in the Alliance, ant that kept her almost as busy as she was when she was a member of the High Command.

Han Solo missed her. After the forty days they spent constant time together as the _Millennium Falcon_ limped its way to Bespin and the time they spent together uninterrupted after he was rescued, he wasn't used to her absence. And, from his recent experience, every time he was separated from Leia, something bad happened to one of them.

Han knew his fears were unfounded; the High Command gave Leia back some of her original duties, Chewie and Lando integrated themselves into Alliance life, and some members of the High Command were even glad that he was back. They were all safe—well, as safe as one could be on a rebel base. No one here wished them harm. Still, when the princess was out of sight, he could not help but worry about her.

Solo banged the wrench against the bolt that would not tighten under his ministrations. He sighed and looked up from his work, spotting the princess crossing through the hangar. Leia stopped when she saw him on top of the _Falcon_ and smiled at him, an open unabashed smile which she would have been hesitant to share with him pre-Tatooine.

 _I love you._

 _I know._

The knot of concern in his stomach loosened. Han returned her smile and gave her a wave with the wrench still in his hand. She was safe, at least for today.

After the small moment they shared between them, Leia continued on to her destination, and Han's hazel eyes followed her to the far end of the hangar. She wore her Alliance uniform once again, and his lip twitched. After the way they— _she_ —was treated by the High Command when they returned, he did not understand Leia's undying loyalty. Yes, the High Command had given her back some of her original duties, something that greatly pleased Leia—she loved the work she did—and her diligence in completing these duties, it was a constant reminder that her commitment to the Rebellion was just as strong as it was before he was frozen in carbonite. Han frowned at the uniform that fit snuggly on some places of her body and loose on other parts.

Was he jealous? Maybe. He felt like he was battling the Alliance for her attention as he had when he pursued her in the previous three years. Now that he caught her, he thought maybe it would be different. But Han knew how important it was to Leia that they won this war, however unwinnable he thought it was, and that made it important to him, enough so that he never revealed to her how much he missed her.

Han bent down his head and continued working on the _Falcon_.

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Finished with her work for the day, Leia walked up the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_ and headed to the lounge where she heard voices. As she came up to the entrance of the open area, she heard Lando ask a question, one she had not once thought about.

"So now that Jabba the Hutt is dead, you're a free man, what are your plans?"

The princess heart stopped and skipped a beat before falling into its normal ribbon. She had just figured that he would stay with the Alliance, stay with her. But Han never believed in the cause that she had spent almost her entire life fighting for. It was not his dream to overthrow the Empire and restore the Republic; it was hers. In fact, he once told her long ago after he rescued her from the Death Star and helped Luke destroy that horrible space station that it did not matter to him who ran the galaxy. It was all the same to him. His choice of occupation was considered illegal under any government, and all governments were corrupt, even if they don't start out that way. It was just the nature of the beast. There would always become corrupt.

Leia had argued with him then, telling him that it did not have to be that way. The government that she would help set up would be devoid of corruption. Han had called her naïve. Leia leaned back against the bulkhead. She remembered how irked she was when he called her that, and she stamped her foot, turned around, and stormed off at the time, effectively ending that unwinnable argument.

The princess's large brown eyes fell to the floor of the _Falcon_. Despite his beliefs, Han _had_ stayed with the Alliance, but not because of any dream— _you're dreamin', Sister—_ of his. Solo had hid from Jabba and worked for the Alliance to earn the credits he needed to pay off Jabba. And, after their fight on Hoth when he was going to leave, she realized that he had stayed for her. And though Han insisted that he was leaving because of the bounty hunter they ran into on Ord Mantel, Leia knew part of his reason for leaving had to do with her continuous rejection of him over the last three years.

So Leia had assumed he would continue to stay with the Alliance after she abandoned her fears and professed her love for him. She assumed that he would stay her. Was she enough for him to abandon his semi-solitary life free to go where he pleased, free to take jobs that were more lucrative that working for the rebels?

The princess heard Han let out a big sigh. "I never thought about it before." He pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "I figured I woulda suffered a torturous death once I went to pay him off. Jabba was pretty pissed."

"No kiddin'."

"I think after the three years I avoided him, it wasn't about the money anymore. It was about makin' an example outa me."

The image of Han frozen in carbonite hanging on Jabba the Hutt's wall in his palace flashed across her mind. How angry she was; how frightened and pained she felt. It still sent chills down her spine. She loved him more than she had ever loved any man. How much did Han love her?

Not wanting to hear anymore and not wanting to disturb Han's private conversation with Lando, the princess retreated down the corridor, down the ramp, and with arms wrapped around herself, walked briskly to her quarters on the base. The princess felt a pang of guilt for not making her presence known when she was on the _Falcon_ , but after what she heard, she did not think she could hide her precarious emotions.

Leia missed Luke and wished he had returned already. The Alliance was in their final days of launching perhaps their final attack on the Empire, and she worried he would not be back in time.

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The next morning, the princess—followed by Threepio—made her way to the _Millennium Falcon_ , and after hesitating for a moment, palmed the security pad of the ship and walked up the ramp. She went in search for Han whom she found arguing with the three computers housed in the control panel in the lounge.

"Where the hell is Golden Rod when you need 'im!" Han cursed.

"Why Captain Solo, I'm right here." Threepio stepped closer to the smuggler. "Are you in need of my services?" The droid sounded quite thrilled that the man who acted as if he detested him was now in need of the droid's aide. "I am glad to be of help."

Han grimaced at the droid. "Talk to 'em, will ya? Help 'em work out their issues."

"I'd be happy to, Captain Solo." Threepio shuffled to the control panel as Han stepped away and began a conversation with the arguing computers.

Han went over to the princess, took her upper arms, and kissed her. He smiled when he pulled back and found Leia's eyes still closed for a few seconds after.

Han looked down at her hand which held a medium-sized pack. "Are you movin' in?"

"Of course not," she said too fast.

His face fell slightly; Leia kept her quarters assigned to her in the underground base on Sullust, but—save for last night, she had spent her nights with him. Han hid his disappointment by giving her another kiss. "So what's with the bag?"

"Most of the personnel are being moved off base," she explained. "We're being moved to Home One. Lando's going to take an A-Wing over. He's been quite anxious to get into one of our ships."

"Of course he is," Han smiled. Lando had been eager to show off his skills to the rebels since they settled in on Sullust. "When are they making their move on the Empire?"

' _They', not we,_ Leia noted. She rolled her lips between her teeth. "In a couple of days or so."

"It's gettin' close." Han said as he tried to figure out Leia's reserved behavior. His brow furrowed and he took her face in his hands. "You okay?"

"Yeah, of course." She smiled at him and then initiated a short kiss. "We should get going."

 _She must be worried about the offensive,_ Han thought. And Luke had not returned yet. He suspected that Leia was worried about him. Han was too. "Go ahead an' put your bags in my cabin," he instructed her.

Leia's lips spread into the slightest of closed-mouth smiles and went to Han's cabin.

"Chewie!" Han yelled, and his best friend's head popped out of the engine hatch. "We're goin' to Home One."

Chewbacca grunted and graerwed.

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Luke Skywalker's mind was more preoccupied with his conversations with Yoda and Ben than on piloting his X-Wing. Their words, the revelations they revealed to him, were almost too much for him to take in. Darth Vader did not lie to him on Cloud City; the Dark Lord _was_ his father. To become a Jedi, Luke would have to kill Vader, _his father_. If he did not, the task would be put on his sister's—Leia's—shoulders. How would she do that if there was no one left to train her?

Perhaps that task was his responsibility. Luke remembered how Ben told him how the old Jedi took it upon himself to train Anakin Skywalker, and how he had failed and Anakin turned to the Dark Side. Ben was a Jedi Master then. Luke was not even a Jedi yet. What if his effort to train Leia went awry? What if he failed and she turned to the Dark Side?

Of course, he would not leave the responsibility of killing their father to Leia. He would take on the mission, not because it would complete his training as a Jedi, but to spare her from facing her worst enemy. He would do anything to protect her, even if that meant confronting and killing Darth Vader.

But could he do it? Luke inhaled and slowly let his breath out.

 _I can't kill my own father._

 _Then the Emperor has already won._

Luke replayed the battle between him and the Dark Lord on Cloud City. His father had the chance to kill him, but Vader did not. Luke searched beneath the fear and confusion and the self-doubt he experienced during that light saber fight. In the calm he felt now, he was certain he felt good deep down inside Vader.

 _He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil._

Perhaps he was more a machine than man, but that did not necessarily make him twisted and evil. Machines were machines, neither good nor evil; they just did all that they were programmed to do. But his father wasn't a program. Luke knew this to be true. There _was_ still a man beneath that mask, a man who _made_ the choice to turn to the Dark Side. Vader could make the choice to renounce the Dark Side and return to the side of Light.

No, Luke would not kill his own father. He would try to turn Vader back into the Jedi he once was. But what if he failed?

Then he would have to kill the Sith Lord to protect Leia.

R2-D2 beeped and sputtered, pulling Luke out of his musings.

"Sorry," Luke apologized. "Okay ready to make the jump to light speed."


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9:

Han Solo stood at the large observation window aboard the Home One, with one arm leaning against the bulkhead as he stared at the dark space speckled with stars outside it. He loved the vastness of open space, the infinite possibilities that lay out there. It represented freedom to him, possibility and adventure, something he greatly missed. Although he was suspended in sleep hibernation when he was frozen in carbonite and was unaware of passing time, he felt as if it had been ages since he experienced the liberation that flying through space brought him. Then of course, ages really had passed. When was the last time he enjoyed piloting his beloved ship without being chased by Imperials or bounty hunters? Save for the smuggling he did for the rebels, the missions he led, and chauffeuring the princess around, he did not get much time to just enjoy the open space. He had been on the run for so long—from Jabba and the Imperials—he was tired and craved simpler times before he pissed off Jabba, before he got entangled in the Rebellion.

And with Jabba the Hutt dead, Lando was right; Han Solo was a free man.

As he stood there looking out the observation window, a pair of lithe arms wrapped themselves around his waist, and a petite body pressed itself against his back.

"Leia." Han lifted his arm so that she could slip under it.

"What are you up to, Flyboy?" She now stood next to him, looking up at him and wearing an open smile.

"Waitin' for you," he answered, which was true. Han just got distracted by the view before him.

Solo leaned down and kissed her, lingering there for a moment.

"Well, I'm here and all finished for the day—night, I suppose."

"That's good news." His eyes returned to the open space.

The princess's large brown eyes followed Han's gaze, and she silently studied the stars before her. Like Han, she too loved to look at the stars and remember days of long ago. Her favorite place for stargazing was from Beldover Cliff on Alderaan. That place was no more. Leia shook that thought out of her head and glanced up at Han. There was clear longing etched into his expression, and his hazel eyes seemed far away from her. Leia swallowed and remembered the conversation Han had with Lando that she had overheard, and her heart sunk into her stomach. She knew the open space was calling to him. Han may love her, but that did not guarantee he would not leave her.

 _So now that Jabba the Hutt is dead, you're a free man, what are your plans?_

When she heard Lando ask that question, Leia felt the walls around her heart that Han once knocked down rebuild themselves. That night, she retreated from him as she had in the past when she feared he would break her heart if she gave into her feelings for him. As Leia sought shelter in her quarters, she sat perched on her bed with her arms wrapped around herself unable to sleep. She spent the night thinking about Han, about the three years they had known each other, about her love for him, his love for her, and the fact that Han no longer had to hide from bounty hunters. Leia wanted to run from Han, to break things off with him before he broke her heart. She knew she just could not survive another crack in her soul.

But Leia had spent the last three years pushing Han away, denying her desires and her feelings for him, and this was something she regretted. She still regretted the lost time she could have had with him. Life was unpredictable and fragile, and no one knew how much time one would have to pursue their desires in life. She had learned her lesson: better to relish in happiness found in the now than to never have experienced it. That night, Leia resolved that she would love Han without restraint in the time she had left with him if he chose to leave her.

"Come on." She ran her hand along his arm and caught his fingers. "It's late. Let's go to bed."

Han turned his attention to her, savored her devious smile, and responded with a lop-sided grin of his own. "Whatever you say, Your Worshipfulness."

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Unaware of the time in the darkened room, Han lay awake as he watched Leia sleep curled up next to him, her leg thrown over waist. He still had trouble sleeping; he still feared that he would not wake up and she would disappear. When Han did sleep, nightmares sometimes tormented him. He would be back on the platform on Cloud City sinking into the carbon chamber as Leia watched. The regret and pain and fear in her face. He remembered in that moment that he was more worried about what would happen to her than he was troubled by what was happening to him. He knew Chewie would be okay. He was strong, and he would keep his promise. He would take care of Leia, but that did not alleviate his fears.

And so became the habit. After a few hours of sleep, Han would wake and spend his time watching Leia sleep until she woke up. In her sleep, her worries were absent from her face, the stresses that usually marred her expression during the day. In sleep, a small smile softened her expression as if she held a wonderful secret. No nightmares for her tonight. Han took a lock of her hair, ran his hand along it, and brought it to his nose. He deeply inhaled. His hazel eyes automatically closed as he took in her scent.

He opened his eyes as he released her hair. Han still marveled over the changes in her appearance when he was frozen in carbonite, the lack of baby fat in her cheeks, the toned muscles of her slender body. He still could not comprehend that six months had passed while he was frozen in carbonite. The frightened girl he courted had morphed into a confident woman who unabashedly revealed her emotions. Ever since she freed him from carbonite (and not because she was the one who freed him), he loved her even more.

Han never figured love would be something in his life. It was not that he did not experience love in the past. There was Bria whom he did love at one time. But he never thought he would love someone so deep that would shake him to his core. His attachment to Leia, the protectiveness he felt toward her—though she was quite capable of taking care of herself—the ache and desire that came with love, frightened him to the bone. This type of love was something new to him; he never feared losing someone as much as he feared losing Leia.

And here they were, in the middle of a war where death hung over them on a daily basis. He almost lost her on the Death Star, though that was before he even knew she was something he could lose. He almost lost her on several missions, on Ord Mantel, and on Cloud City, Jabba's palace.

Han could lose Leia now. The Alliance had been assembled and all allies willing to take an offensive position against the Empire were in place. It would not be long now. Solo did not know what her roll would be in this perhaps final stance. While Leia was a capable pilot and had participated as an X-Wing pilot in a few dogfights with TIE fighters on a few missions, most likely Leia would remain on Home One, the ship that would lead the offensive and the biggest target that will be out there on the battlefield. Unless they needed all the fighters they had. Which they will since this battle will take place in space. Han shuddered at the thought. Those X-Wing pilots would be on the front lines of the battle. Most of them would not make it back. Was Leia a capable enough pilot to survive?

Leia stirred, and Han watched her eyes flutter open. She smiled at him when she saw him and then arched her back as she stretched.

"'Morning, Flyboy."

"Morning, Your Worship." Han kissed her on the forehead. "If it is indeed morning."

She looked at her watch. "It is. Did you sleep well?"

"The best sleep I ever had," he lied.

"Is that why you look so tired?" Leia raised an eyebrow.

"This is just my morning face."

"Uh-huh," Leia said, but she dropped the subject. She was aware that Han had trouble sleeping, that he was afraid he would never wake up again, but she was not going to force him to talk about it just as he did not force her to talk about what haunted her.

"Leia…"

The way he said her name turned her stomach. The carefree expression she wore melted into her political face as she braced herself for what would come next. "What is it?"

Han propped himself up on his elbow, and he ran a finger down the side of her face. He did not know how to start, but his fear of losing her in the battle prompted him to continue. "What will your role be in this battle?"

"I don't know," Leia answered. "I haven't been told." She propped herself up on her elbow.

"You've been practicing in the X-Wing simulator," Han pointed out.

"Yes. But I won't be in the first string or second. Most likely, not even the third. They'll probably send me out only if I'm needed."

 _When they've lost their best pilots and are desperate._ Han did not say this aloud. "You'll be on Home One then?"

She shrugged. "Probably."

Han took her hand, studied it before stroking it with his thumb. Then he looked up at her. "Why not sit it out on the _Falcon_?"

The princess rolled on her back and hugged the covers to her body. "You're not staying," she whispered.

Han had not thought about it in terms of staying or going, but his proposal was exactly that. Of course, Leia would see sitting out of the battle as abandoning the Rebellion.

"I didn't say that," he countered, though maybe that was what he was saying. "I just thought…." He paused before continuing. "I don't know. It'll be safer on the _Falcon_."

"Because you won't be anywhere near the battle," she finished his thought. "It's not safe anywhere with the Empire running the galaxy, Han. I can't abandon the Alliance at our most critical hour."

Han pressed his lips together. He expected that.

The princess rolled onto her side. "I've spent almost my entire life fighting the Empire. For as long as I can remember, I've been preparing for this moment. My father has—had—prepared me since I was a child." Her voice quieted. "I can't let him down."

 _He's dead,_ Han thought, but he would never say that out loud. "Luke destroyed the first Death Star, and now they're building another one. You will spend your life destroying new Death Stars if you survive."

"You don't know that."

Han said nothing for a moment, and the look of fear in the princess's large brown eyes made him acquiesce. "Maybe you're right."

Leia sat up and stared down at the covers that still lay upon her legs. "This will be our final stand," she quietly said. "If we don't win….most of the Alliance will be wiped out. I don't know if we can recover from that." She then looked at him. "How can you expect me to not fight when everyone is risking their own lives for our freedom?"

Han sat up and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's just that…." He sighed. "First we were running from the Empire after Luke destroyed the Death Star. Then it was base to base being chased down, and how many missions did someone—you, Luke, Chewie—almost get caught or die? And then there's Hoth. Your stubbornness almost got you killed there."

 _And you._ Leia looked down at her hands on her lap. Han used his forefinger under her chin to guide her head so that she was looking at him.

"Then getting captured by Darth Vader on Cloud City, tortured." Solo paused as he thought about the carbon freeze. "I almost lost you forever." He shook his head. "And then I wake up to find us in another precarious situation in Jabba's palace."

Leia shivered at the memory.

"We were gonna die."

The princess shook her head. "Luke saw—"

"What is it he said?" Han stopped her. "The future is in motion or somethin'? He even admitted he wasn't certain of the outcome."

Leia gazed into his hazel eyes and then looked away. Han was right, but she still had faith in Luke. _Where was Luke? How come he hadn't returned yet?_

"I'm just saying," Han took her hands in his. "We've come so close to death an' have been on the run for so long." His eyes fell from her face before returning. "I'm tired of running."

"If we win—"

"The odds are against you, Leia."

Leia pulled her hands from his.

Han let out a frustrated sigh. "I just want to keep you safe. I don't want to lose you."

Leia bit her bottom lip. "I don't want to lose you."

"Think about it."

"There's nothing to think about, Han. I know you don't believe in the Alliance like I do. I don't think you can understand my loyalties to a cause that you think is doomed." The princess lifted her large brown eyes and looked into his hazel ones. "Nothing you say will change my mind."

Han's face was crestfallen. He nodded and broke eye contact with her. "I didn't think so."

Leia pulled herself up to her knees and pressed her lips to Han's. It was a long kiss that communicated her feelings for him, her desires.

"I know you have to choose your own path," Leia whispered. "I've accepted that. It doesn't change how I feel about you." She kissed him again. "I have an early meeting to attend. I'm going to take a shower."

Leia climbed over Han, and he caught her hand, pulling her down to kiss her again. She savored his kiss before breaking it, and her fingers slipped out of his as she headed toward the refresher.

Once in the refresher, the princess removed Han's T-shirt and dropped it to the ground. She entered the shower and turned on the water, setting it at the hottest temperature that she could stand. She stepped under the flowing water, then crouched down, letting the water beat against her skin as she openly cried.

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Han Solo deeply inhaled as he stood in front of Mon Montha's office. If he entered, his life would change forever. Summing up his courage, he stepped into the office.

"Captain Solo," Mon Montha greeted him. "What can I do for you?"


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10:

Princess Leia Organa walked through the narrow corridor leading to Assembly room 5 on Admiral Ackbar's ship, Home One. Han Solo was still on her mind, the conversation they had in the morning, and she did her best to push it out to no avail. As she entered the room, she greeted the pilots and soldiers whom she passed, stopping to briefly talk to them. Her eyes passed over the crowded room; the reality of what was about to happen was setting in. Her adrenaline had begun to surge through her blood.

As her large brown eyes scanned the room, they stopped on someone she thought would be the last person to be at this meeting: Han Solo. He and Chewbacca were talking with two soldiers dressed in fatigues. With a furrowed brow, Leia made her way through the crowd and stopped in front of Han and Chewie.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, we'll…." The soldiers backpedaled.

"I'll catch you later," Han smiled. Then his smile faded, and he turned to Leia. "No hello?"

Chewbacca growled.

"Sorry," Leia apologized. "How are you doing, Chewie?"

The Wookie grumbled and groaned.

"That's good to hear." She realized she had not spent a lot of time with her once-constant companion since they returned to the base. Of course, she had been busy with the Alliance duties and spent most of her free time with Han—sometimes with Chewie—but mostly just with Han. Leia felt a little guilty.

The princess turned to Han. "So what are you doing here?"

"No hello?" Han feigned hurt. "No kiss? Nothing?"

Chewbacca took that moment to excuse himself. The last thing he wanted was to mediate the argument that was about to explode.

Leia placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "This is the last place I thought you'd be. So answer my question."

"I was curious about the plans for the attack. You know, see what you've gotten yourself into." He tapped the tip of her nose.

She brushed his hand away. "And the security team let you in?"

Han shrugged. "Friends of mine."

The princess narrowed her large brown eyes on him. "This meeting is highly top secret. You're not supposed to be here."

Han touched his chest and he contorted his face to resemble hurt. "You don't trust me?" He bit back a smile when she rolled her eyes. He loved when she did that.

"That's not what I'm saying," Leia huffed. "The High Command can be a stickler about these things."

"Huh." Han looked to the corridor entrance from which he came before turning back to Leia. "I said 'hi' to Mon Montha when I passed her. She didn't seem to have a problem with me being here."

"Leia raised an eyebrow. "Mon Montha."

"Hey there's Raff and O'Neal." Han waved over the two soldiers dressed in fatigues. "Hey, how you guys doin'?"

The men came over and greeted Han.

"Your Highness," the greeted Leia.

Although she was suspicious of Han's sudden friendliness with someone from the High Command—Mon Month, no less—she let their conversation go (like she had a choice) and smiled at the men. "You guys look ready for combat," she said as she examined their high tech gear.

"We are," O'Neal said.

"Can't wait." There was enthusiasm in the young Raff's voice. "This is my first battle."

Han's heart weighed heavily as he contemplated the youth and enthusiasm that Raff displayed, but he hid his worries with a lop-sided smile and clapped the boy/man on the back. "Just make sure you keep your head down."

"I will."

Han's mouth dropped open as he saw Lando Calrissian across the room.

Leia looked at Lando. "I heard was given the rank of General."

"He sure climbed the ranks fast," O'Neal commented.

"That's Lando." Han said. "Excuse me."

He went over to his old friend to greet him, leaving Leia and the two soldiers to carry on their conversation about the new gear they were wearing. Raff and O'Neal, like many of their comrades, wore camouflage fatigues fit for a planet heavy with forestation or jungle. Their helmets were flat and ribbed on top and a thick band encircled the sides of their heads and ended in ear covers. The protective helmets safe guarded their ears from explosions and close range blaster fire and contained comlinks that would allow them to hear and communicate with each other in battle. They were a new design, expensive, something the Alliance could not afford in the past. Leia, in charge of liaisons and finances was pleased by the equipment and donations from their allies and other governments, some who resided in close proximity to the Emperor's realm and would have not dared to lift a finger against the Empire in the past. Many in the galaxy were depending on the success of the Alliance.

Mon Montha stood at the circular display monitor that lay in the middle of the room and the crowd hushed up. A three dimensional display that showed the Death Star hovering over a small moon farthest from Endor as she spoke of the sacrifices made by many Bothans to get these plans.

Mon Montha then introduced Admiral Ackbar who informed his tense audience how the ships designated to destroy the vile space station would penetrate it and blow it to pieces. Ackbar then waved his hand and the tech working the monitor pressed a lever and a yellow outline starting from the surface of the moon stretched over and encircled the Death Star projection. He announced that General Lando Calrissian would lead this squad on this dangerous mission once that shield was down.

Leia studied the outline of the floating Death Star. Ackbar's presentation seemed too easy to Leia. Yes, the shield would have to be taken out, and they would have to go through a shaft that led to the core of the space station. There was great risk, but if the Death Star was not operational, only Star Destroyers and TIE fighters would be the rebels' only obstruction. While a swarm of TIE fighters and Star Destroyers would be hard to get past, it would not be impossible. The Empire did not expect the Alliance to attack the Death Star—this was a surprise attack—so the number of Star Destroyers would be limited. Wouldn't they be? It all seemed too easy.

Admiral Ackbar then gave the floor to General Madine. The General explained the plan of how the shield that projected from the moon of Endor would be destroyed. Leia's heart sunk. Of course, the Emperor would not leave the unfinished space station defenseless, especially since it was not operational and that he was personally on the Death Star overseeing the construction. That was why it was necessary to have ground troops, but breaking into the shield generator would be the most dangerous mission of the entire plan. She was certain that that shield generator was well-guarded.

Leia leaned towards Han. "I wonder who they found to pull that off?"

Han opened his mouth unsure how to answer.

"General Solo, is your team ready?"

Leia's jaw dropped and she stared at him with incredulously.

Han Leaned forward. "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

Chewbacca raised his hand and roared.

"That's gonna be rough, pal. I didn't want to speak for you."

The princess put her hand on Han's arm. "General." She smiled. "Count me in."

"I'm with you, too, Han."

Luke Skywalker stepped forward and all eyes fell on him. Leia jumped up and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him. She pulled back and looked into his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Ask me again some other time," he told her.

Before she could say anymore, Han and Chewbacca came over to greet Luke for themselves.

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It was their last night before the offensive would begin. Leia gasped and sighed before she rolled off of Han. She lay next to him, and panting, he rolled to his side and kissed her passionately.

"I love you, you know," he breathed.

Although she knew it, it was the first time he said it. She gazed into his hazel eyes, stroked his face, and kissed him, letting her lips linger there for a moment. Then she pulled back and smiled.

"You're only saying that because we just—"

He cut her off with a kiss, gently pushing her on her back as he hovered over her. Exhausted, he laid his head on her breasts, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I still can't believe it."

"What?"

"That you committed to the Alliance." She smiled. "And accepting the rank of general, General." She was quiet for a moment as she stared at the ceiling. "This isn't going to be an easy mission."

"With me leading it would could go wrong?"

Leia smiled and shook her head. "That's what scares me," she joked.

He kissed her breast. "I'd feel better if you remain on Home One or stay at the base on Sallust."

"You know I can't."

"I know," he conceded.

Perhaps it was better that Leia remained with him. At least then he could keep her safe—hopefully. Han knew they would be walking into a hive of Imperials. Could he lead the team _and_ keep her safe?

"I can take care of myself," she said as if she read his mind.

"I know. I just don't want to lose you."

"You can't get rid of me that easy."

He raised his head to look into her face. "I mean it."

Leia pulled herself up on her elbows, and Han lifted himself off of her and took her face in his hands and once again kissed her. She returned his kiss with fire and fervor, relishing the short time they would have together before they began the mission.

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Leia stared at the bulkhead over her with the back of her forearm resting on her forehead. It was her turn to have insomnia. Han peacefully slept on his stomach next to her, snoring slightly, with his arm lying over her waist. She was aware of how little sleep he had gotten since he was freed from the carbonite. He didn't have to tell her how he feared he would never wake up again.

Leia had fears of her own, but some were alleviated when Han officially joined the Alliance. He chose her over his previous carefree life; he wasn't leaving her. At least not now. _This mission_ , she bit the inside of her cheek as she thought of it. This mission was the most dangerous one that he ever took on. And _he_ was the one leading it. Of course, Han would have it no other way. He wasn't the one to take orders from anyone. Except her, she smiled. He begrudgingly took orders from her when she was the one in command of some missions, though he was not always cooperative.

Now Han was leading a team into a nest of Imperials. Most missions he had participated in the past did not involve Han leading any teams. They were mostly covert missions involving skills and connections only he had, and it was usually just him and Chewie, save for the missions Luke and Leia joined him on. Han was a natural leader and she had no doubts that if anyone could pull off this mission it would be him, but Leia knew any loss of life under his command would weigh heavily on him.

And the possibility of Han's death weighed heavily on her. He worried about her survival, had adamantly voiced his concerns, but now that Han was now an official member of the Alliance, a general, her fears for him tripled ten-fold. She had crilikflies in her stomach, and pressure pressed down on her chest. Han was a risk-taker; he would take on the most dangerous parts of the mission. The famous Solo luck he had could run out.

Leia felt clammy and sick to her stomach. She checked her watch. She still had several hours before she had to get up. She looked at Han. He was smiling in his sleep and that eased the crilikflies in her stomach a touch. Perhaps she should have slept with him before. She just could not bring herself to do it before now; her experience at Jabba's palace still haunted her. But this may be their last night together and she did not want to regret it if anything happened...

Leia had to get some air. She gently took his arm that lay across her body, lifted it, and froze. Han did not stir. She slipped underneath his arm and placed a pillow where she had lay, putting his arm on it. With the grace of a durna cat and without touching him, she climbed over him and out of bed. Leia then pulled one of Han's sweaters over her head and put on her pajama shorts. She put on her shoes without lacing them and exited the _Falcon_.

Leia passed a few guards but other than that there was no one stirring on the cold ship. Leia made her way to the observation deck but found that she was not the only one awake.

"Luke."

Luke turned around and smiled at her. She walked into his embrace.

"What are you doing up?" he asked her.

"I could ask the same of you?" she stepped back, tilted her head, and peered into his blue eyes.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Same here."

"Worried about the mission?"

"Something like that."

"Han will be okay," Luke said quietly as he turned his attention to the stars.

"So is the mission keeping you awake too?"

He was going to lie to her, but he knew Leia would see right through any of his lies. He could never lie to her, especially not now; now she was his sister. Luke had kept things from her in the past, things he would have to tell her soon. Leia had a right to know. And if he did not survive his eminent battle with Darth Vader, if he could not turn his father away from the Dark Side, she would be….

Luke had kept things from Leia since he last confronted Vader, and although they remained close, it had put a silent wedge between them. And now he held more secrets. He hated himself for not being able to open up to her, but he was more ashamed of his origins and how she would react. Knowing who her real father was, how would she react to that?

"No, it's not the mission."

"What is it then?"

He made brief eye contact with her then looked down at the floor. "Yoda died."

"I'm so sorry, Luke." Leia put an arm around his shoulder. "I know how much he meant to you."

"He was nine hundred years old," Luke informed her, trying to comfort himself. Everyone dies. At least Yoda had a peaceful death, something Luke suspect he would not have.

"Wow." Leia's large brown eyes widened. "Is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better?"

"I don't think so." Luke shook his head.

The princess bit her lip before saying, "That's not all that's bothering you."

Luke gazed into her eyes. He could see the turmoil and pain she felt for him and her desperate need to know. He could feel how bad she wanted to make him feel better. But what was weighing on him was not something he was quite ready to reveal. He did not want what he knew hanging over her head on the day the offensive would begin.

Luke kissed her forehead. "I will tell you. I promise. But just not now."

Leia nodded, accepting his answer. He couldn't love her more. Luke embraced her, and she buried herself in his arms, rested her head on his chest, and closed her eyes, realizing in that moment how much she missed him.

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Darth Vader stood the deck on his Super Star Destroyer, the _Executioner_ , gazing out the large one of the large windows at the front of the ship. He was waiting, but waiting for what, he wasn't certain. He knew the rebels would soon arrival, but it was not their arrival he was waiting for.

Then there was a disturbance in the Force, a familiar disturbance. Vader stalked across the deck and approached Admiral Piett. "Where is that shuttle going?"

Admiral Piett's pallor paled slightly. He leaned over the tech. "Shuttle Tiberium, what's your cargo and destination?"

"Parts and technical group to the farthest moon."

"Do they have a code clearance?" Vader asked.

"It's an older code, but it checks out," the Admiral answered. Knowing it better not to lie—for he had witnessed what could happen to one who angers Darth Vader with his own eyes—he said, "I was about to clear them."

Vader's mechanical breathing was the only sound on deck as he looked out the closest window. Yes, Luke Skywalker was aboard that shuttle. As the Emperor foreseen it, Vader's son had come to him. The Dark Lord Luke's panic and the guilt.

 _Still not good at hiding his emotions._ Vader was pleased.

"Shall I hold them?" Piett asked.

"No. Leave them to me," the Dark Lord instructed. "I will deal with them myself."

"As you wish, My Lord," the Admiral said. Then he ordered his tech to allow the shuttle to pass.

Darth Vader returned to the observation window and gazed at the unfinished Death Star. The fall of the Emperor would soon take place.


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11:

General Han Solo and Chewbacca sat on stumps of trees located on the farthest moon of Endor. With them was their team that waited patiently for Han to give the word that they would move on. Although time was being wasted—three hours so far—he just couldn't bring himself to move from their position until Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa returned . Against his order, Leia and Luke jumped upon one of the storm trooper biker scout's speeder bikes, and pursued the two that escaped. He knew they probably did not hear his command, and if that scout reached his destination, the team's surprise attack would be ruined. But they were on a time limit; if they didn't destroy that shield generator by the time the fleet reached the Death Star, the fleet would be helpless and unable to destroy it.

Han cursed himself for ruining their surprise attack on the small band of biker scouts they had run into. Had he not been brash and arrogant, they could have come up with a better plan—Leia did have a way of getting out of tough situations—and Luke and Leia would have helped him eliminate the threat. If it was not for him, they would probably still be here with the time.

 _Shall we go around?_ Leia had asked.

 _It'll take time. This whole party will be for nothing if they see us_ , Han had told her before he decided that he and Chewbacca could take care of their precarious situation.

 _Quietly,_ Luke had warned. _There may be more of them out there._

 _He it's me._

 _Hey, it's me,_ Han regretted those words. Luke and Leia were anywhere in the forest with storm troopers prowling around because of his cocky arrogance. Had he not tried to sneak up behind one of the storm troopers, had he not stepped on that twig that alerted the biker scouts of his presence, and had he consulted his command team and figured out a quieter plan, they would not be here waiting for Luke and Leia to return. Because of him, they were wasting precious time. With the time they were wasting for Luke and Leia's return—if they could find their way back—it would have been better had he taken Leia's advice and went around the group of storm troopers.

And what was his team thinking about his leadership? Han had them sitting around waiting for Luke and Leia to return when there was a possibility that they would not. He should be thinking about the mission and leading his team to the bunker. That is what Leia would have wanted and expected.

"Oh, General Solo," Threepio called out. "Someone's coming."

With blaster ready, Han crouched down behind a tree and waited. He held his breath. If Luke and Leia failed to take out the biker scout, the biker scouts may now be in a position to ambush them, and the area would soon be swarming with storm troopers.

Moving at a slight jog and slightly out of breath, Luke stepped into the clearing, looked around, and saw no one. Did Han continue on the mission? That would have been the best thing to do. As it was, Luke was not certain how long he had been gone. He was certain that this is the place Han and team were last. Skywalker and the biker scout traveled in a straight line, and the Force had helped him find his way. So where were they?

"Luke!" Han called out, relieved. He stepped out of the clearing, resting his hands on his hips.

The Jedi's shoulders relaxed when he saw his friends. Luke looked around as did Han.

"Where's Leia?"

The relief Luke felt a moment ago faded into concern. "What? She didn't come back?"

Han's expression and voice darkened. "I thought she was with you."

"We got separated."

Han pressed his lips together, and Luke's stomach tumbled. She was alive, he felt her presence in the Force, but the forest went on forever, and finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Their mission was crucial, and time being wasted, and they were putting the whole fleet in danger. As it was, it took Luke some time to get back to the group. Those speeder bikes traveled at a great speed. Who knows how far away Leia was? But if Luke had to choose between the mission and Leia, well, that was an easy choice. Luke looked at Han.

"We better go look for her," Luke said.

Han was a general now, in charge of a vital mission to the Alliance. If they did not get that shield generator down, the fleet—Lando and the _Millennium Falcon—_ would come out of hyperspace and run into the shield. They would be sitting vlukes out there. The fleet was depending on him to do his job and do it before they arrived to attack the Death Star. He could send Luke out to find her…

But this was Leia, and Han could not just leave finding her to Luke. She could be lost out there, injured and helpless. Han swallowed. She could be dead. His chest tightened, and he pushed down the bile in his throat. He could not think that way. She was strong, resourceful. How many missions had he been on with her that she cheated death because of her adept skills and quick-on-her-feet thinking? How many times did her resourcefulness save him?

 _I can take care of myself_.

Han knew she could, but she wasn't invincible. Those bikes traveled at high speeds; one wrong move and she could have been smashed against the tree. And Han had no doubt that she would have followed that biker scout until she finished him off. She could be miles away. The thought of Leia out there with storm troopers crawling around…general or no general, there was no way he was going to leave her in the Endor forest. He just couldn't.

Han waved at the commander. "Take the squad ahead. We'll meet you at the shield generator at oh-three hundred."

"Come on, Artoo," Luke addressed his most trustworthy droid. "We'll need your scanners."

"Don't worry, Master Luke," Threepio assured the group. "We know what to do." Then he turned to Artoo. "And you said it was pretty here."

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Princess Leia Organa stood frozen in place, waiting for the trooper whom she had knocked down with a good-sized branch to get up. But he did not. She had taken out the biker scout that was fleeing on his speeder bike with the blaster that the dead biker scout next to her had held to her head. When the scout did not get up, she exhaled and regarded her furry little friend with respect. He had not retreated in fear, but took up a brilliant position to surprise the biker scout. Leia was thankful.

But they were not out of danger. More biker scouts could be nearby and have heard the explosion when the speeder bike she hit with the blaster fire crashed into his the dead biker scout's partner's bike.

She held out her hand to the teddy bear-like creature. "Come on, we better get out of here."

Leia started off in the direction of where she thought she came from, though she did not actually know if it was the right way. She knew where the bunker was, and maybe if she could locate the fallen tree that the biker scout she was pursuing crashed into, she could find her bearings. It could not have been too far.

But Leia's little friend had other ideas. He tugged at her hand and drew her in the opposite direction. He would know this forest better than she did, but did she know where Han and the team were? Would he lead her there? Did he even know where they were? Probably not, and the creature was quite wary of her before she offered him food.

As the tiny creature led her through the forest, she took the time to take in her surroundings. The trees around her stretched so tall that they seemed to be swallowed by sky. She felt so small. The forest was so green and full of life at every turn, reminding her of the forests—however, humble compared to this one—on Alderaan where Carlist Reikken had taken her on camping trips. A cool breeze ruffled the stray locks of hair that escaped her intricate braids and dried the sweat on her forehead. Leia closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy it.

Weaving in and out of the trees, she allowed the creature to lead her. He definitely knew these forests. Leia wanted to ask him where they were going, but the only common language they spoke was their hate for the Empire. And rations. The walk was long, and she wondered what the creature was doing out here alone. Was he hunting?

Then the creature stopped and Leia looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. Above her, a village of thatched huts and bridges that stretched between the close-knit trees. The creature tugged on her hand and led her to a thick rope made of vines with knots tied at intervals. He motioned her to follow as he began to climb up the rope.

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Darth Vader strode out of the throne room after his discussion with the Emperor. He smiled to himself; Vader sensed the presence of Luke Skywalker with the small band of rebels he let pass through the shield. The Emperor did not. Perhaps the Dark Lord was right: the Emperor's powers were weakening.

Or Vader had a stronger connection to his son. Either way, these facts worked in the Sith Lord's favor. If the Emperor was becoming weaker, then overthrowing him would be easier. If his son truly felt compassion for him, then Luke there was a greater chance that Luke could be turned to the Dark Side and fight by Vader's side, overthrow the Emperor, and take control of the galaxy.

Luke Skywalker was a fool to have compassion for him. Could Luke's compassion lead to love? Could he, a monster be loved? Return love? No, Vader decisively thought; his heart had died when Padme died. He had no good left in him, and he would not make the mistake of loving anyone ever again. Not even his offspring which Padme had birthed. It was her, the Sith Lord believed, that kept his son's birth from him. He was certain of it. Obi Wan had turned her against him, and wow easily she was turned.

 _You were the Chosen One_ , Obi Wan had yelled at him, hurt and frustration coloring his voice. _You were the Chosen One._

Chosen for what? Certainly Anakin Skywalker was not chosen for the Jedi. Perhaps he was chosen to bring about the demise of the Jedi, and no one—not even Yoda—sensed it. Just as they did not sense Chancellor Palpatine's ambitions to take over the government. The Jedi were weak. They lied to him and tried to convince him to spy on his friend, the Chancellor. The Chancellor was a Sith, the puppet master behind the scenes. When the Chancellor was revealed this information to Anakin, Anakin was repulsed and knew he had the duty to arrest his friend and turn him over to the Jedi. But when the Chancellor revealed that he could teach Anakin how to prevent death, Anakin could not resist. His dreams of Padme dying seemed to be more a vision than a nightmare. Obviously, the Dark Side was more powerful. There was no war between good and evil, and the Force was just a tool, a tool Vader had chosen to wield for his own purposes just as the Emperor did.

Darth Vader entered his shuttle that would take him to the moon of Endor. Soon his son will come to him. He just had to have patience.

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Han Solo and Luke Skywalker followed Artoo through the heavy foliage. Because of the dense forest, Artoo moved at a slower pace than Han expected. Or maybe it felt like he was moving at a slow pace because Han worry for Leia was rising, and he was anxious to find her. Anxious to find her alive and well. What if she was badly hurt? They did not think to bring a medi-kit. They just rushed off to find her. What if she lay somewhere dying?

What if Leia had died already?

"She's alive," Luke said. "I can feel it."

 _Luke with his Jedi powers_ , Han thought.

"Does the Force tell you if she's hurt or captured? Or where she even is?" Han asked, his tone full of frustration.

Luke gave him a look, though it was more apologetic than angry. "No," he answered. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't mean—"

"I know. You're just worried about Leia." Luke gave his troubled friend a small smile. "Me too."

"At least you know she's alive," Han mumbled.

"I do." Luke looked over his shoulder with Han, his large blue eyes steady and confident, before returning his attention to the path Artoo was taking them on.

Luke had done some pretty amazing things when they battled Jabba the Hutt and his lackeys. Maybe there was something to the Force, Han thought, but it was hard to put faith in something he did not believe.

Still focusing on the path ahead, Luke spoke again, "Did I tell you how Leia found me on Cloud City?"

"No. She just told me where they found you."

"If it wasn't for her, I would have been dead." Luke passed for a moment, and a dark cloud hovered over his heart.

 _I am your father._

He pushed Vader out of his mind and focused on Leia. "Through the Force, I tried to contact Ben."

"The old man?" Han asked confused. _Contact a dead guy?_

"Yeah," the Jedi hesitated, unsure if he should continue on, but he thought it better if Han knew. He would eventually know Luke's relationship to Leia, though Luke wasn't ready to talk about that now. He had not even told Leia. He worried about having that conversation with her, how she would react to him.

"Ben had appeared to me several times before Cloud City, and he appeared to me after," Luke admitted.

"Like a ghost?"

Skywalker could hear the skepticism in Han's voice and chuckled a bit. "Something like that. Sometimes it's just his voice." He inhaled. "Like when I was about to send the torpedoes into the Death Star's exhaust pipe. Ben guided me, told me to use the Force."

Han stayed silent.

"Before I went to Cloud City to rescue you…" he lowered his head. "Ben said he couldn't help me." Luke stopped and turned to Han, running his hand along the gloved fingers of his other hand. "That's when I called out to Leia through the Force."

"Leia?" She was not Force sensitive, Han thought. She believed Luke had powers, but she never told Han outright that she believed in the Force as strongly as Luke.

"Yeah." The Jedi kept his eyes on his hands before looking up at Han. "I called her through the Force."

"And she heard you," Han stated or asked, he was not sure.

"Yeah. She told Chewie to turn around. She knew where to find me."

Han did not know what to say.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."

Han stared into his friend's eyes and thought for a moment. "I believe you," the smuggler told him and was stung by a pang of jealousy. Luke could mentally communicate with Leia. Han was not sure how he felt about that.

When Han first saw Luke with his light saber training with the training droid on the _Falcon._ The old man was teaching the kid to use his light saber with the blast shield of Luke's helmet over his eyes. Han was impressed that Luke was able to block the lasers, but Han chalked it up to luck. He knew Luke had practiced with that training droid often and reflected the zaps of energy more often than not in the three years he knew the kid, but Han never thought he would witness what Luke could do now, as he witnessed when they fought Jabba's lackeys.

"Can you call Leia now and find her?"

"I can't here. Vader's coming here. I don't want him to find us."

"You can sense him, too?"

"Unfortunately."

Luke nodded and gave Han a closed-mouth smile. There was something sad about that smile, something secret. Han guessed if he could sense Darth Vader the way Luke could, he would not be too happy about it either.

Artoo beeped and Threepio translated, "Artoo demands that you keep following him. I'm terribly sorry about the demand part." Threepio kicked Artoo and he beeped some more. "A droid should not demand anything of his Master."

"It's alright." Skywalker continued on.

With his hands in the pockets of his camouflage trench coat, Han followed Luke and the droids with Chewbacca not far behind. He looked back at his best friend whose nose was in the air.

"Any sign of her Chewie?" Han asked.

Chewbacca groaned and shook his head. Han's lips pressed together in a grim line. Would he be willing to risk Vader knowing about their presence on Endor if Luke would use the Force to contact Leia?

General Solo thought about it. He had a team of men to look out for, not to mention the entire fleet. Could he risk all those lives on one person? Even if it was Leia?

Artoo entered a clearing, and his dome head swiveled around. Luke wandered into the clearing. She obviously was not here. Why did Artoo stop? Maybe Leia was hidden in the foliage. Luke started toward the surrounding forest, Han went the opposite direction. Luke closed his eyes and tried to conjure up a vision of her, but to no avail. Nothing came.

Artoo stopped and began to beep. Luke opened his eyes, and that's when he saw it, a rebel helmet that could have only belonged to Leia. Relief tempered by concern filled Luke's chest; she had been here. He turned the helmet in his hands. She was here, but where was she now?

"Luke!" Han called to him.

The Jedi jogged over to Han. Next to the smuggler was a wrecked speeder, twisted and mangled and almost unrecognizable, and a dead biker scout burnt and melted into the speeders .

"Oh, Master Luke," Threepio lamented.

Luke frowned. "There's two more wrecked speeders back there," he said, injecting some hope. "And I found this." He tossed Leia's helmet to Han.

Han stared at the green helmet, and his heart sunk into his stomach.

"I'm afraid Artoo can find no other trace of Princess Leia," Threepio translated for the droid.

With his heart in his stomach, Han's gut churned. He stared at the helmet as Luke did earlier, his face crestfallen. He recognized the etching of her name inside the helmet. It was definitely hers. Han pressed his lips together. Was this all that was left of her? Or was Leia captured?

"I hope she's alright," Han lamented.

There still was the possibility that Leia was alive and nearby, but in the dense forest and not knowing which way Leia went, it seemed hopeless. Han had lost her, and not to the Empire, not to a blaster shot like he figured it would happen. He lost her in a forest and would never know her fate.

Han looked up. Almost all of the forest looked the same to him, and he relied on a map to navigate his way toward the shield bunker. Leia was good with directions, and she did study the map. Could she find the bunker on her own? Damn! If only she stayed here, stayed in one spot. If only she did not get separated from Luke.

Chewbacca growled and arrrauhed.

"What, Chewie?" Han's hope perked up. "What?"

With his nose in the air, Chewbacca lumbered toward what he smelled? Han's hope started to replace the sick feeling in his stomach. Chewie knew Leia's scent intimately. Han, Luke and the droids followed the Wookie.

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Han Solo's mouth fell open as he saw Threepio, who sat on a crude throne of sorts, rise in the air and float over the Ewoks. Solo was currently tied on a spit, and fortunately, the tiny creatures were more afraid and fascinated by Threepio's "magic" than firing up the hearth beneath Han.

 _Threepio, tell them if you don't get what you wish, you'll get angry and use your magic._


	13. Chapter 12

Sorry about the delay and this short story. I went to Comic Con—yes, got into Hall H and saw the Star Wars panel and concert—and got behind on my classwork. I hope to get back to my usual pace of posting.

CHAPTER 12:

Princess Leia Organa was not exactly greeted but scrutinized by horde of more fuzzy little creatures that resembled the one who led her to their village. When she first stepped onto their high platforms in the trees, she was met with a row of spears pointed in her direction and some gruff sounding voices. The little creature—who must have been a juvenile due to his side compared to the other creatures—spoke to the group, waving his hands around. Once her little friend finished speaking, the other creatures slightly relaxed, came up to her, and began examining her, all the while keeping their spears ready at hand. They rubbed her poncho between their fingers and petted the skin of her arms and hands. Then one creature who was investigating her holster touched her blaster, jumped back, and pointed his spear at her as he rattled off words in a language Leia did not understand. Others wielded their weapons as well. The creature she befriended stepped between her and the angry ones, and rapidly spoke to him. The hostile creatures held their stance, and the one with the skull of an animal on top of his head took her blaster from the holster.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said as she reached for her blaster.

Leia jumped back as spears were once again pointed at her. The one with the skull on his head—the leader, Leia presumed—spoke to the tribe and the little creatures dispersed, returning to their usual work. Leia looked down at her friend who remained by her side. He took her hand and led her to a hut.

Inside small the hut were crude chairs the size of a stool, and a leave-stuffed mattress on the far end of the room.

"This is nice, but I need to find my friends," said, but her words were futile.

Her little friend scratched his head and then exited, leaving Leia standing in the middle of the hut. She stood there somewhat frustrated and confused. Why did her friend bring her here? Were they planning to keep her? If she found an opportunity to escape, would she be able to find her way back to Han and the team?

"I can't stay here," Leia told him. "I need to find my friends." Why was she trying to speak to them when they could not understand her? She sighed.

The black and gray striped leader entered the hut followed by her friend who carried some garments in his arms. The leader pointed to the clothes in the only creature she knew and then pointed at Leia. The princess's little friend stepped forward and handed her the clothes: a white long-sleeved shirt and a beige dress made of the skin of some beast. It was soft and supple in her hands, and while it would be nice to get out of her uniform, the sight of these clothes inspired apprehension; Leia was not the first female to have experienced the creatures' hospitality.

Leia's brow lowered. What happened to this female? Did she escape? Or did she die in captivity? Was Leia herself a captive?

"But I have to find my friends," she entreated.

The leader spoke to her again, his tone demanding. Leia figured he was commanding her to put on the dress and gave no indication that he was going to give her privacy. These creatures did not wear clothes save for hoods on their heads. Perhaps they had no sense of privacy. She bit her lip—she had been suffered more humiliation before—and slipped her unbuckled her belt, dropped it to the floor, and pulled her poncho over her head. She turned her back to them and slowly she unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her lace-covered bra. She dropped her shirt and put on the white long-sleeved shirt. Then she slipped the dress over her head, pushed her arms through the sleeves, and pulled the dress into place. She removed her boots, reached under her dress, and took off her pants. When fully dressed she collected her uniform close to her body and turned to face them.

"I can't stay." Her voice was quiet. If she could only communicate with them.

Then an idea came to mind. She saw a hearth in the middle of the circle of huts. Leia held up her hand and walked toward the door. The leader pounded his walking stick once on the ground. Two creatures, taller than her little friend, stood guard of the door. The leader and her friend started to leave.

"Wait!" Leia held up her hands. "You can't keep me here."

The leader's lips pulled up and he stalked toward her with his walking stick, and Leia backed up. If she could only communicate with them... Then she had an idea.

In dust that had accumulated on the table, Leia drew a crude picture of her friends. The leader and her friend began chatting among themselves. Leia grimaced. If they were fearful and unsure of her, the last thing they wanted to see were more people. She used her hand to erase her drawing. She looked up at the leader, and then to her friend. They had obviously run into some storm troopers and knew they were hostile. Her little friend instinctively hid under the log when she was almost captured by a biker scout.

If they ran into biker scouts, perhaps they would know….

Leia quickly drew a picture of the bunker housing the Death Star shield. Perhaps there was a chance to catch up to Han and the team there. "I. Need. To. Go. Here." She spoke slowly as if that would help them understand her.

"I need to go there." Leia tapped on her drawing.

The leader pulled on his furry chin and studied her face.

The princess grimaced. Perhaps they know that was where the storm troopers came from. Her brow furrowed, and then she made explosion sounds as she erased the drawing of the shield bunker.

The leader's gruff voice and Leia's shoulders slumped. The gray and black striped leader motioned for her little friend to leave. Her friend gave her a sorrowful look and then left the hut with the leader.

The princess dropped onto the stool. She would just have to wait until she got a chance to escape.


	14. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13:

Darth Vader stalked out of the Emperor's chamber and to the elevator that was guarded by to Imperial Guards dressed in red from head to toe.

 _I have felt him, My Master,_ Vader said to the Emperor after the Sith Lord sensed his son's presence on the moon of Endor.

 _Strange that I have not,_ the Emperor replied. _I wonder if your feelings are clear in this matter._

The Sith Lord's hands curled into fists. _My feelings clear in this matter?_ How dare the Emperor imply that Vader emotions were clouding his control of the Force! He felt nothing for his son. Vader did not spare the life of Luke Skywalker on Bespin because he _felt_ an attachment to the boy. He saw his son as a way to take out the Emperor and rule the galaxy.

 _He's just a boy._ Vader had pointed out to his Master many months ago when the Emperor first detected Luke's presence in the Force. Was he trying to protect his son? No. Vader shoved that thought away. He watched the numbers on the display panel as the elevator descended.

 _The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi._ The Emperor had stated, as if there was a single Jedi left in the galaxy to train his son.

Vader contemplated the phrase his Master had used. _Son of Skywalker…_ The Emperor no longer saw Darth Vader, his protégé, as Anakin Skywalker. The Emperor had been right; Darth Vader was no longer Anakin Skywalker. Vader's chin dropped. Did he miss his previous self?

The Dark Lord exited the elevator and took angry steps down the corridor toward his chamber as his underlings rushed to get out of his way. The Dark Lord ignored them. Had he paid attention to any one of them, he would have Force choked the life out of him.

No, Darth Vader did not miss his previous self. Attachment and love were nothing but weakness. And Anakin Skywalker fell prey to both. These qualities led to betrayal. Like how Padme betrayed him.

The Dark Lord's anger toward her had not subsided. In fact, it had grown over the years. His own wife had allowed Obi Wan turn her against him. She birthed a son in secret and let Obi Wan take Vader's own blood from him. Vader clenched his teeth together. Although he struck down his old Master, Obi Wan, it would never satiate his desire for vengence.

But it was too late for that. Obi Wan Kenobi had told Vader that if Vader struck him down, the old Jedi would become more powerful than the Dark Lord could possibly imagine. But Obi Wan's prophecy was hollow. Darth Vader concentrated on his mechanical breathing. Obi Wan may have bested him when they fought on Mustafar and had hidden his son from him, but Vader found his son anyway. His lips stretched into a sneer underneath his mask. Vader had been the victor in the end.

But the Emperor's interest in his son rattled Vader. The Emperor wanted to destroy Luke before Luke had the chance to become a Jedi. How could the boy become a Jedi without one to train him? Was it possible that Obi Wan Kenobi found a way to do so after his death?

Vader entered his chamber and shook that thought out of his head, dismissing it as impossible. Despite the fact that there were no Jedi left, the Emperor felt the need to kill Luke before he could become a Jedi. Vader laughed at the idea.

But Darth Vader had found a way to preserve his son's life. _If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally._ What drove him to do that?

The Emperor liked that idea, and he let the Dark Lord search for his son over the past months.

When Vader first confronted his son on Bespin, Luke was just a boy then, idealistic with a good heart who only desired to become a Jedi so that he could end this epic battle between the Empire and the Rebellion. So he could be like his father. Luke was weak. But now…now, Vader could feel his son's presence in the Force, could feel Luke's strength and mastery of the Force. Although the Emperor could control his thoughts better than Vader, Vader could feel the faint fear underneath his Master's façade.

That was good. Darth Vader could use Luke's weaknesses, his son's desire to destroy the Emperor in his favor. And then Luke would become Vader's apprentice, and they will rule the galaxy as father and son.

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Luke Skywalker leaned against the smooth wooden rail holding a small cup in hand. The Ewoks, as Threepio called them, had treated them to a feast—one that did not require Han Solo to be the main dish—that was much more satisfying than the rations that would have been his dinner had they not been captured by the Ewoks. The Jedi wore a small smile. Bright Tree Villagewas what Threepio had called this place. Luke wondered how many other villages like this one existed high in the trees. He inhaled the pine tree smell, reveling in the little peace that this moment provided. There was not going to be many peaceful moments in his near future.

Luke's blue eyes fell upon Leia who stood across the platform talking to Chief Chirpa as Threepio translated for them. She was so beautiful with her hair falling down her back wearing a dress however rough and crude it was. When was the last time he had seen her wear a dress? He could not remember, but despite the primitive outfit, she still managed to appear regal and polished. Leia looked intense as she spoke to Chief Chirpa. She held the Ewok's brown eyes, never glancing at Threepio as he translated. Luke wondered about their conversation.

He bit the inside of his cheek and his small smile faded. He would have to have a conversation with Leia, a difficult one. Leia had always been accepting of him, but Luke wondered if there was a limit to her unconditional love. And how would she feel about learning that the man who tortured her and Han was her biological father?

The Jedi sighed, remembering how hard it was for him to accept the truth. He did not think he really believed it until he spoke with the late Yoda and Ben Kenobi's ghost, and they confirmed Vader's revelation.

Han made contact with the team who by now should have been three clicks away from the Imperial bunker. He used the code to communicate with them so that the Imperials, if they detected their conversation, would not understand it. Solo's hazel eyes traveled around the platform, taking in the sight of the excited Ewoks, of Chewie conversing with the little Ewok that found Leia in the forest. Chewie had a knack for picking up languages easily, and he used his hands to sign to make himself better understood. Leia was with the chief of the village, using Threepio to translate their words, and Artoo stood next to the golden droid. Han shook his head. Who would have thought that Goldenrod would ever be the one to save their lives?

Han's eyes then fell on Luke who stood away from the group, holding a cup that he was not drinking from. Once he finished communicating with the team, Solo clipped his comlink to his belt and headed over to Luke. The Jedi, staring off into another direction, did not notice Han's approach. Han sidled up to his friend, leaned against the railing like Luke, and followed Luke's gaze.

Luke was watching Leia. Han's stomach tightened. The way Luke gazed at Leia, the look in his blue eyes, Han recognized admiration. He also recognized love, but there was something sad in Luke's eyes. Luke loved Leia. Was he sad because she had chosen Han? Did Leia truly choose Han? She acted like she did, but he knew Leia loved Luke back. But was it romantic love?

Han pushed the green-eyed monster down. "You okay?" he asked Luke.

Luke turned his large blue eyes to Han and nodded. "Yeah." Luke took a sip from his cup. "You feel ready for tomorrow's attack?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Luke smiled at Solo. "Of course you are. It's just a lot of pressure to be carrying."

"What pressure?" Han said but then he dropped his bravado. "It's weighin' on me." He inhaled and exhaled. "If we don't blow up that bunker, a lot of people will lose their lives."

Luke nodded and his eyes traveled back to Leia. Han's heart skipped a beat. Did Luke sense something about Leia? Was she going to die? Was that why Luke looked so sad? Han wanted to ask, but he could not bring himself to do so. He was not sure he wanted to know, and Luke cared about Leia as much as Han did. Certainly his friend would say something if she was going to be in mortal danger.

What was Han thinking? They all were going to be in mortal danger. And not just his friends either. His team and the entire fleet were in mortal danger. Their mission was not going to be an easy one, and surely it was going to cost them many lives.

Luke held out his cup to Han. "Would you like some….sweet wine?"

Han's lips spread into a closed-mouth smile and took the cup that was mostly full. "Thanks." He took a gulp and handed it back to Luke.

"Keep it," Luke put up his hand. "It's way too sweet for me."

Han took another sip as Luke opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Han that he would not be participating in the mission tomorrow. Luke had his own mission to tend to. But then the Jedi closed his mouth. What was he going to tell Han? Han definitely would be upset. The smuggler would not understand why Luke had to seek out Vader and face the Dark Lord once again.

"Come'n," Han nudged Luke. "Somethin's definitely botherin' you. You've been…I don't know…distant since you returned from Dagobath."

"Yoda died."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Luke met Han's hazel eyes. "He was nine hundred years old. It was his time."

"Nine hundred? And I thought at two hundred Chewie was old."

"At least Yoda wasn't cut down by a Sith like Ben." Luke looked down at the ground. "Yoda's death was peaceful. He just faded away."

"Faded away?"

Luke nodded. "I guess it's a Jedi thing. Ben disappeared when he was killed by…Vader."

"I was too busy tryin' to get you to get on the _Falcon_ to notice." Han took another gulp of the sweet wine. "So you're gonna just fade off when you die, and the rest of us mortals are going to be just dust?" He nudged Luke with his elbow.

Luke's brow furrowed and he smiled. "I don't think so. I'm not a Jedi Master." His smile turned sad, "I'll never be a Master."

"Sorry."

Luke stared into Han's eyes, all playfulness erased from his face. He put a hand on the smuggler's shoulder. "You've been a good friend, Han. I couldn't have a better one."

Han gave him a wary look. "You expectin' to die tomorrow?"

"No." Luke paused and then looked at Leia before returning his attention to Han. "You're good for Leia. She needs you."

Han shifted his position. He opened his mouth and then closed it. What was Luke saying? Was he giving his blessing to Han's relationship with Leia? Was he conceding defeat in the battle for Leia's heart? Was not that Leia's decision?

"You need her too."

Before Han had a chance to say anything, Luke pushed himself off of the rail and looked up. The tall canopies of the trees blocked out the last of the sunlight. "It gets dark fast up here. Come on. Leia wants us."

Han glanced in Leia's direction. She was walking towards a large hut with the chief Ewok and shaman, but she gave no sign that she was calling him and Luke over. Nevertheless, Han followed Luke to the hut.

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Several Ewoks pounded on animal-skin drums, and Threepio announced that they all were part of the tribe. Leia noticed Luke hovering near the door when Threepio retold their…adventures, for lack of a better word, to the Ewoks to try to convince them to join in the fight against their common enemy. Luke wore a soft expression, smiling as if he was enjoying the revelry inside the large hut, but there was something in those blue eyes of his, something that was pulling him far away from the present moment. Luke's head dropped and he exited the hut.

Leia rose to her feet as Han did. Han walked over to Threepio to discuss the logistics of the mission after the Ewoks agreed to take them to the Imperial bunker. As part of the command team, she should have been at Han's side, but Leia was pulled toward the direction of Luke. She made her way through the excited Ewoks, looked behind her to see if anyone noticed her (no one did), and left the hut.

The princess walked into the cold crisp air, the soft mist that hung between the tall trees where the Ewok village inhabited. She inhaled the fresh air and held it in. It had been stuffy in the hut with all those Ewok bodies and theirs, and she felt less constricted now that she was out in the open air. She walked across the catwalk to where Luke stood with his hands on the rail as he stared up at the Death Star. Leia noticed the subtle worry in his eyes. Did he foresee their failure? Or was it something else? It was something else. Leia's large brown eyes rose to the sky and fell upon the foreboding Death Star. Her heart constricted with fear, but she sensed it had little to do with the half-constructed space station.

"Luke, what's wrong?"

Skywalker turned toward her and leaned his hip against the railing, letting her words hang between them. It was a complicated question but a question that he must now answer. He smiled at her, a wistful smile tinged with a touch of sorrow.

"Leia, did your father, Bail…did he ever tell you about your mother, your real mother?"

The princess's brow furrowed. "A little. She died when I was born."

Luke sat on the railing. "Tell me about her."

She leaned against the railing as her eyes focused on the past. "He didn't tell me much. Just that she was very beautiful…" she glanced into Luke's eyes. "My father said I have her eyes." Leia smiled for a moment before falling into a more somber tone. "She was strong, but not strong enough to survive my birth, I suppose." She dropped her eyes from Luke.

"That wasn't your fault." He put a hand on her shoulder. "What else?"

Leia rolled her lips between her teeth. "She had a strong sense of justice…" she shook her head. "I can't remember much more." She paused as her face darkened. "He would never tell me her name. And he never mentioned my biological father." She shrugged. "Maybe my father…maybe Bail didn't know him."

Luke nodded as he looked at his gloved hand.

"Why are you asking this?"

"I never learned anything about my mother," Luke confessed. "My aunt and uncle always avoided my questions."

Leia frowned. "Luke, tell me. What's bothering you?"

"Vader's here….on this moon."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know?"

Luke's deep blue eyes sought out hers. "I have felt his presence." When Leia tilted her head, he continued, "Like I felt your presence on Bespin."

She nodded. "I'm sorry that you feel him, Luke."

The Jedi sighed. "He's come for me. He can feel when I'm near." He paused to let her take in his words. "That's why I have to go."

"Go?"

"As long as I stay, I'm endangering the group and our mission." Luke licked his lips. "I have to face him."

"Why?"

Luke moved closer to her, keeping his tone as calm as possible. "He's my father."

Luke caught the flash of revulsion in her eyes, the fear, but she quickly recovered. "Your father?" She looked to the ground before looking up at him. "How do you know?"

"He told me."

"Do you trust what he says?"

A deflated smile marred Luke's expression. "Yoda confirmed it." He would have mentioned his conversation with Obi Wan, but he wanted to keep things simple. "There's more, Leia. It won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must." He paused, making sure he had her full attention. "If I don't make it back…you're the only hope for the Alliance."

Leia stepped away from him. "Luke, don't talk that way. You have a power that I-I don't understand. You're the last—"

Luke allowed her to retreat from him. "You're wrong, Leia. You have that power, too. In time you will learn to use it as I have."

The princess inhaled and exhaled as her large brown eyes fell to the ground. "I can't—"

"Yes, you can." Luke's eyes also fell to the spot where Leia stared. "The Force is strong in my family. My father has it….I have it….and…" he raised his eyes, catching hers in the process. "My sister has it."

There was a dark cloud swirling in Luke's eyes that frightened Leia, but she did not draw away from him. Her brow furrowed as she replayed their conversation in her head. Luke believing she was the last hope for the Alliance if he did not make it back…she having the powers Luke possessed….Vader his father….his sister…

"Yes. It's you, Leia."

She bit the inside of her cheek. _How is that possible?_ Leia's head began to swim. However possible, she knew Luke was telling the truth. "You're my brother," she whispered. "Vader's my father…"

"I'm sorry." Luke grasped her arms. "I didn't want to burden you, but you have to know if I don't come back…."

Her mouth opened and she shook her head.

He let her go. "You know why I have to face him."

"No. I don't!" Leia snapped. "If he can feel your presence, you need to run away, leave this place. You'll be safe and won't endanger the mission."

Luke placed a kiss on her forehead. "I can't. This is something I need to do."

"Why?"

He dropped his chin as he prepared to explain himself. Would she understand? "Because…there's good in him. I've felt it. He won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save him, turn him back to the good side."

"Darth Vader?"

"I have to try." When Leia's large brown eyes turned dark, Luke went on to explain, "He could've killed me on Bespin, but he didn't."

"I find it hard to believe there's any good in that…that…" she whispered the last word of her sentence, "monster." _That monster, who tortured her, tortured Han, froze Han in carbonite. The monster who was her father_. Leia grabbed onto the railing as a sudden bout of vertigo spun her world.

"I know. But _I_ have felt it. There _is_ some good left in him." Luke touched her elbow. "You have to trust me."

Leia stared into Luke's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, all anger in her heart seeping away. "I trust you," she whispered.

Luke enveloped his sister in his arms, and she responded by wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight against her as if she would never let go. He did not want to let her go, but Luke knew he must. He pulled away from her, his hand running down her arm until he caught her hand. With two hands, Leia grasped his until his fingers slipped through hers.

Han stepped out of the hut to find Luke embracing Leia before he let her go and walked away from her. With her back to Han, Leia continued to watch Luke as he disappeared into the night. Han frowned as he walked over to her. It was then he noticed her trembling.

"Hey, what's goin' on?"

Leia started at his voice, and she turned around. It was then Han noticed that she was crying. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

"Nothing. I—just wanted to be alone for a little while."

"Nothing?" his tone was harsh and then it softened. "Come on. Tell me. What's goin' on?"

The princess's large brown eyes looked up at him. She inhaled in an attempt to control her emotions. How could she tell him? What was she to tell him? It was just a jumble in her head, and she still needed to sort it all out.

"I…I can't tell you."

Han glanced in the direction where Luke disappeared. He held out his hand in that direction. His temper got the best of him. "Did you tell Luke? Is that who you could tell Luke?"

"I..."

"Ah!" Han waved a hand at her and turned away. Exasperation and jealousy clenched his heart and, he started to walk away, set on returning to the hut.

Leia's heart stopped as she watched him storm away. Unable to control her tears any longer, she turned away from him and held onto the rail with both hands as she tried to keep her knees from buckling. She had never felt so alone in her life.

Then Han stopped, turned around, took a few steps towards her, and planted his hands on his hips. "I'm sorry," he said, all exasperation and jealousy and anger devoid from his tone.

Leia turned to him, studied his contrite expression, and approached him. "Hold me," she whispered.

Solo held open his arms, and she flew into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him. He stroked her hair and rested his cheek upon her head. His uneasy feeling did not dissipate, but he loved her, and at that moment she needed him. He was determined to be there for her.

 **HAN**

I'm sorry.

 **LEIA**

Hold me.

Han gathers her tightly in his protective embrace.

 **77 EXT FOREST - IMPERIAL LANDING PLATFORM**

An Imperial shuttle floats down from the Death Star and lands

gracefully on the huge platform.

Now, an Imperial walker approaches the platform from the darkness of

the forest. The whole outpost - platform, walkers, military - looks

particularly offensive in the midst of this verdant beauty.


	15. Chapter 14

* sorry this is so late. I had a class to finish. I wanted this to be a longer chapter, but I also wanted to get something posted for you. Here it is:

CHAPTER 14:

Han lay on his back inside the hut the Ewoks allowed them to use with his arm resting across his forehead and his hazel eyes focused on the thatched ceiling above. Leia lay next to him, her back touching his side and her hands folded beneath her head. Her large brown eyes stared at the wall a few inches away from her. The leaf-filled mattress was lumpy but more comfortable than the wooden slats of the bare floor. She and Han shared a blanket and their body heat to keep warm high up in the trees.

"Leia," he whispered her name, barely audible. "You awake?"

"Yes." Her voice, too, was barely audible, but he heard her.

"Can I at least ask you where Luke went?"

She bit her lip and stayed quiet. Han felt a wall fall between them. If she couldn't tell him that, he being a general—the leader of the mission—not just someone she loved, someone who was friends with Luke, things were worse off between them than he thought.

"He went to face Vader."

"What?" Han lifted his chest off of the mattress and propped himself up with his elbows. "How does he know Vader's here?"

"He can sense Vader," she whispered. "Through the Force."

"So…what? He can find Vader?"

"Hm-mm." Then Leia added, "Vader sensed him."

"So Vader knows we're here?"

"I don't know." Luke's image appeared in her mind then he walked away. Leia rolled onto her back and looked into Han's eyes. "Luke said that he was endangering the mission."

"So he goes off to find him?" Han's brow furrowed. "Alone?"

Leia nodded.

"Why would he do that?"

She swallowed down the tears. "I…I can't tell you." She could see the cloud of frustration pass across his face even in the dark. She rolled back onto her side.

"Whatever the reason, that's just crazy." Han shook his head and then asked, "Why didn't you get him to stay? He wouldn't have gone if you asked him to stay."

Leia closed her eyes against his accusation. "I tried," she whispered. "I even urged him to run away."

"Of course you did." Han put a hand on arm shoulder and rolled her onto her back. She did not resist. "I'm sorry."

Leia's large brown eyes met his and she bit her lip again, but a few tears escaped anyway. Han reached over and wiped them away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry." He stared into her forlorn face. "I know how special he is to you."

"You're special to me, too," she whispered. "I love you."

Han responded to her words by moving his body so that he hovered over her, placing his hands next to each side of her head. He gazed into her large brown eyes. She was telling the truth. He pressed his lips to hers. Leia grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer, returning the kiss with fervor.

Han lifted his head and gazed into her sad brown eyes. "We have to get up in three hours."

With her hand still wrapped around his head, Leia lifted herself up and kissed him. "I know," she whispered and kissed his again.

She released his head, lay back down, and stared into his eyes. Han slipped the spaghetti straps of her lace-trimmed tank top, and placed kisses on her exposed skin. Leia closed her eyes, attempted to push Luke and tomorrow's mission out of her mind, and soaked up Han's affections.

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Luke had walked probably two miles before he came upon a camp of storm troopers, biker scouts, and an AT-AT in a clearing. Two miles was not far from the Ewok village, and Luke thought about all those tiny, helpless creatures being slaughtered if—or when—they were discovered. Those little creatures _were_ high in the trees, and perhaps would be overlooked as the Imperials moved through the forest, but the Ewoks had to come down for provisions at some time.

Skywalker stayed camefloueged behind some bushes and tree trunks and he scrutinized the small band of Imperials. It was dark, but they had built a fire and some of the biker troopers and storm troopers had removed their helmets to soak the heat of the flames. A few were finishing off rations.

Luke pressed his lips together as Leia's face came to mind. He hated seeing her pain, and he hated more so that he was cause of her pain. The look in her large brown eyes when he told her that Darth Vader was his father….revulsion then sympathy. But how is she handling the knowledge that Vader is her father too? Luke regretted telling her and then leaving her, but she had to know just in case…In the past, Luke felt the anger that churned inside her every time they talked of Vader. Leia's anger incited fear in him. Now it scared him even more. The Force is strong in Leia, his sister, and her anger now put her in danger of falling to the Dark Side.

Leia, his sister. Luke smiled to himself. He always felt lost in the world, alone, especially after his aunt and uncle were murdered. Leia , Chewie, and Han had become like family, but now it was different. He felt closest to Leia. Luke now had true family, someone whose heart was good, not just his monster father. Leia would never become a monster like Vader. Luke would make sure of that.

At least Leia had Han to comfort her. Luke knew Han would not be happy that he left without telling the smuggler that he was leaving. The question of "why" would have come up, and Luke was not prepared to explain his parentage to Han just yet. He had to let Leia absorb the information first, and Luke did not know how long that would take. Luke wished he could tell Han that Leia was his sister—he had felt Han's jealousy over his closeness with Leia—but it was not his place to bring it up. It was Leia's. Han and Leia were still working out their relationship, figuring out how to handle the change between them, how to be with each other. Luke thought it be best if Leia explained it to Han if she chose to do so. Telling Han would bring up many more questions Leia may not want to answer. It was very difficult for Luke to reveal his—their parentage to Leia; he could imagine how hard it would be to explain to Han. It all seemed implausible.

Luke took a deep breath and decided it was time to reveal himself to the Imperials.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 15:

Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, and the Emperor's apprentice (though not for long), watched his son as he was led away by two of Vader's storm troopers. He stared down Luke as he stood in the elevator. Luke met the Dark Lord's black orbs. Vader noted the disappointment touched by a sliver of hope in his son's bright blue eyes. Vader grit his teeth together and focused on building a wall against Luke's words. How naïve Luke Skywalker was. Like Vader was in his youth before he was betrayed by the Jedi and his beloved Padme, like when he was Anakin Skywalker. Vader was no longer naïve, no longer good. He was no longer Anakin Skywalker. When Luke had come to the Dark Lord, Vader was not quite sure what he was going to do: obey the Emperor or keep his son for himself so he could turn Luke into a weapon against the Emperor. But when Luke talked of the good he believe that was still inside the Sith Lord, Vader had to turn Luke over to the Emperor to prove to his son how wrong he was.

Vader felt a shadow of surprise and disappointment ripple through his son as he ordered the guards to take the boy to the Emperor. This astonished Vader. His son truly thought the Sith Lord was merciful, or would be merciful toward his own blood. Luke truly believed that his father would not turn him over to the Emperor. But in the end, the Emperor was Vader's master, and the power of the Dark Side was all-encompassing. It made Vader more powerful than he was when he was just a Jedi fighting for good, for what was right. Vader still believed he fought for what was right, but now he used any means necessary, including means denied by a Jedi, to reach his goal. Luke Skywalker was as powerful as the Emperor believed. He was no longer the boy Vader battled on Cloud City. The boy was dangerous; his idealism was dangerous. Perhaps the Emperor was right; the son of Luke Skywalker could eliminate the former Chancellor. And Vader, if he wasn't careful.

Once the elevator doors closed, Darth Vader turned away from it, braced himself against the rail of the catwalk, and gazed upon the tree line that stretched up to the stars. His son would be a great ally, like the Emperor foreseen months ago. The Emperor saw Luke Skywalker as _his_ ally, but Vader believed that Luke's attachment to him—for that's what drove his son to find him here on the moon of Endor—would never swear loyalty to the Emperor. Luke Skywalker would be Darth Vader's apprentice, if the boy could be turned.

Vader's breath came out as a mechanical sigh. Luke's heart was sincere, his beliefs idealistic, and he clung on to hope. Luke Skywalker _truly_ believed that there was still good inside the Lord of the Sith.

 _You have accepted the truth._

 _I have accepted the truth that you once were my father, Anakin Skywalker._

 _That name no longer has meaning to me._

Was that true? Had he completely forgotten who he once was?

 _It's the name of your true self. You've only forgotten._

No. Vader turned Luke's new lightsaber in his gloved hands. He had not forgotten. Knowing he had a son, facing his son down at Cloud City—his son who was a part of his beloved Padme; who was a part of Anakin Skywalker—had reminded him. Luke had his blue eyes, but they were wide and hopeful like Padme's once were. Luke's idealism—much the same as Anakin's when he was young, before he was betrayed by the Jedi who asked him to spy on the Chancellor, who tried to kill the Chancellor instead of arresting him as law demanded—sparked nostalgia for who Darth Vader once was.

But that was a long time ago.

 _I know there's good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you._

Good in him. Vader chuckled inside. His son knew of the atrocities Vader committed on innocent civilians, on Luke's own friends. How could Luke believe there was any good left in him? Vader looked down at Luke's light saber, activated it again, and turned it in his hand.

 _That is why you couldn't kill me._

Darth Vader did, indeed, have the chance to kill his son on Bespin. Why did he not?

 _We have a new enemy, Luke Skywalker,_ The Emperor had said to him before Vader had lured Luke to Bespin. _He could destroy us._

 _He is just a boy._

 _The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi._

 _If he could be turned, he could be a powerful ally._

Why had Vader suggested that? Was it that the Emperor called Luke "The son if Skywalker"? Did that change things for him, knowing that Luke was his son?

 _He will join us or die, Master._

Did he really mean it? Darth Vader pressed the switch on Luke's light saber, and the blade swished closed. Perhaps Vader did mean his words, "he will join us or die" at the time. But at the time he also believed Luke would be easily turned. Luke was inexperienced, sloppy, impulsive. He had no control over his emotions. Vader thought that made Luke vulnerable. But when the Dark Lord faced his son for the first time and the good in him was strong, his son would not be turned easily. And Vader had the chance to kill him right there on Cloud City before the boy became a Jedi.

But Vader did not; he could not bring himself to do it. Cornering Luke after he cut off his hand, Vader did give him only once choice: join Vader to save his life. Vader was certain Luke would choose him; Luke had nowhere to go. But Luke did something the Dark Lord never expected; Luke let go of the pipe he clung to and allowed himself to fall to his death. Vader could have used the Force to catch his son midair, but he did not. He had to admit that he was disappointed in Luke's choice—maybe even saddened just a touch, but only a touch. However, the boy managed to survive. Vader did not know how, but he felt Luke's presence in the Force. He was on the _Millennium Falcon_. All Vader had to do was capture that ship.

But the Imperials failed, and Darth Vader could not deny his relief.

 _There's good in you._ There is good in you. The _good_ in him made him weak. The Dark Side gave him power, made him powerful, and Darth Vader had no conscience left.

Or did he?

 _It is too late for me, son._

Darth Vader had a duty to the Dark Side, and to the Emperor for the moment. Vader had chosen his past a long time ago, and there was no turning back. What was Luke thinking?

 _Come with me, father._

So naïve. Where would he go with Luke? Darth Vader had chosen the Dark Side, had done horrible things that he cannot say he regretted. Did Luke think Vader could just join society? Become a part of the rebellion?

Darth Vader hung Luke's light saber from his belt and walked over to the elevator. He must fulfill his destiny, and there was no room for good in that.

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Han Solo was elated that the Ewoks, Wicket and Palpoo showed them the back door of the shield generator, and he could not believe it when he watched the Ewok Palpoo climb onto one of the bike trooper's speeder bike and sped away. That little Ewok managed to get three of the bunker's guards to follow him. Only one guard left. These small creatures were more intelligent and helpful than Han originally thought they'd be. It did not take long for him to trick the single guard left and gain access to the back door of the bunker.

Han punched in the code and the door slid open. No guards were posted inside, and there was no sign of any storm troopers or Imperial staff in sight. Han led Leia, Chewie, and his team of commandos down a corridor lined with support beams.

"That way," Leia directed him after consulting her wristwatch.

Han and Chewie led the commandos with Leia taking up the end down the corridor in the direction Leia had indicated. They ran down a short length of stairs only to find a formation of storm troopers crossing their path. Han cursed. They seemed as if they knew the rebels were coming. Where did Han mess up? Han and the band of rebels took cover behind the support beams and began firing on the troopers. The storm troopers, being caught without cover, returned fire, and the firefight lasted until the last storm trooper had fallen. Han glanced back at his troops and exchanged a look with Leia. They had lost one of their own, but there was no stopping now.

They ran down a short corridor and turned left. Han nodded to one of the rebels, and the rebel raced down the hallway, stopping at the end. He signaled to Han and the rest of the group followed him into the control room of the shield bunker.

Things were going Han's way, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Han and Leia hovered over the shield controls and began to shut it down. It was too easy, and he was right. A door slid open behind them and an Imperial Sargent with a rather large squad of storm troopers flanked the rebels. Leia's heart fell. The rebel fleet would be in place soon, and they failed their mission. Their greatest chance to destroy the second Death Star was lost, and the fleet would be flying into their deaths.

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When the _Millennium Falcon_ exited hyperspace, Lando Calrissian returned to the cockpit to take his place as the pilot. It felt good to control the _Falcon_ again, once his beloved ship. It felt like the old days when he was running from Imperials or being chased by pirates. The ride was still as smooth as it was when he owned it, and he fought the urge to do some fancy flying. Anyhow, the time for that would come soon.

Lando trusted that Han would have the shield around the incomplete Death Star down—if anyone could pull that off, it was Han—but that did not calm the biliflies in Lando's stomach. Lando also knew that if Han failed, the entire fleet would be sitting doolocks. This would be a battle Lando would not survive.

The image of Han frozen in carbonite flashed before Lando's dark eyes, and a pang of guilt stabbed his stomach. Although Han had forgiven Lando, had even let him fly his beloved ship, Lando had not quite forgiven himself. Luke and Leia had been generous with their forgiveness, and Chewie, too. They held no ill will against him, though Lando could not understand why. If the tables were turned, could Lando forgive so easily?

The time he spent with Chewbacca when they were searching for Han reminded Lando of the friendship the he had with Chewie and Han back in the day. Not a friendship like Han had formed with Luke and Leia, one based on trust (Lando did not even think it possible for Han to trust anyone as much as he trusted Luke and Leia before Lando saw him with Leia and Luke), but Lando and Han did have a friendship, and Lando trusted Han more than he trusted anyone else. Well, Lando trusted Han as much as he could; all of them being smugglers made it difficult to fully trust anyone. But Lando could say he trusted Han enough and called Han a friend. Until the Battle of Ylesia, this was, when Han's girlfriend Bria Theran betrayed the smugglers she recruited—Lando included—when they helped her with a mission on behalf of the Rebel Alliance.

Lando pressed his lips together as he pondered the irony. Here he was involved with the Alliance—he was a general in the Alliance—pulled into the rebellion's fight against the Empire because of Han and a girl. Again. And here Lando was _leading_ a mission that was much more dangerous than the Battle of Ylesia. If his old smuggler buddies could see him now. They'd probably kill him on the spot. Lando bit back a smile.

And what was Lando getting out of all this?

Revenge for what Darth Vader did to Cloud City. And redemption.

Chewbacca's forgiveness, behind Han's, meant the most to Lando. Wookies are known to hold grudges, and they often held those grudges to then end of their long lives. Chewie did not blame Lando for what happened to Han. Lando may have invited Darth Vader into his city when the Imperials arrived, but in reality, if Lando had resisted or fought against Vader's invasion, he and many, many people would have died. From Chewie's perspective, Lando did not betray them; he was left with no choice.

Lando had a new lease on life now. There were people in his life that were his friends without strings attached. They wanted nothing from him like most people in Lando's life. And they had invited him into their lives despite his sins. Lando now had a purpose in life, other than acquiring wealth and power, something believed in and he would fight for. And die for. Lando just hoped it would not come to the die for part.

Nein Numb pulled Lando from his musings.

Lando's brow furrowed. "We've got to be able to get some kind of reading on that shield."

Nein Numb shook his head and repeated his statement.

"How could they be jammin' us…if they didn't know we were coming?" Lando flipped a switch. "Break off the attack! The shield is still up! All craft pull up!"

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The Ewoks proved to be fierce in their fighting. Their primitive weapons, surprisingly, stood up against the technologically advanced weapons of the storm troopers. The traps the Ewoks had set up, the use of tools made from only the resources found on this moon, had taken out many of the Imperial forces. Han and Leia were able to get back to the bunker with no problem thanks to the Ewoks, but things weren't going well for them. Artoo was hit by blaster fire, Leia had been wounded, and another blast shield door closed upon the first when Han tried to hotwire it.

Leia had dismissed her wound, but Han saw the amount of blood leaking from her arm. His hands were covered with her blood. If it was not for Chewie capturing an AT-ST, Han would not have known what to do. Try to hotwire it again with Leia bleeding as she covered him? Did she have the strength left? Could he have successfully hotwired the blast doors while worrying about Leia? Chewie's arrival was nothing more than perfect timing.

"Did you happen to keep the drivers, or did you toss them out?" Han asked as he went over to Chewie.

Chewbacca rarruuffed and gahooed. He lifted one of the dead AT-ST drivers up and slid him down the side of the AT-ST until the corpse was in Han's control. Not wanting to disrespect the dead, Solo tried to ease the man to the ground, but his weight proved too much for Han to handle. The dead man pulled Han to the ground. The smuggler wasted no time stripping the man's clothes and helmet off. He held up the shirt, and with one eye squinting, he sized it up.

"Dolfer!" Han called into his comm. "Get over here."

The rebel Dolfer ran across the open field as Han provided cover.

"Here. Put this on." Han handed Dolfer the Imperial uniform.

As Dolfer dressed, Han turned his attention to Leia. A sheen of perspiration covered her pallid face, and she held her hand over her wound to control the bleeding.

"You're outa the game, Sweetheart."

"But—"

"That's an order."

Chewie sidled up to Han and cooed at Leia.

"Really, it's not so bad," she said as she started to stand.

Han caught her before she fell. "Really?"

"I'm just a little lightheaded. I stood up too fast."

"Right."

Chewbacca grumbled.

"Yeah, you've lost a lot of blood." Han guided her over to Chewbacca. "Take care of her."

The Wookie picked up the princess.

"This isn't necessary," she protested.

Chewie's growl was firm and unrelenting.

"Fine," she grumbled.

"Great." Han hustled over to Dolfer and shared his plan.

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Chewbacca helped Leia remove her holster and camaflouge poncho before ripping part of the poncho into strips. Leia twisted her arm to get a good look at her blaster wound and grimaced. The blaster fire was a direct hit, and blood that flowed out of her injury and covered her arm.

Chewie groaned at her in an I-told-you-so tone, and she rolled her large brown eyes.

"I'll survive."

The Wookie pressed a piece of Leia's poncho against her wound, and she winced in pain.

Chewbacca's growl rose at the end.

"It barely hurts."

It was Chewie's turn to roll his eyes. He warfulled.

"You have a suture kit on you?" Leia asked, and Chewie shook his head. She sighed. "Then there's nothing more we can do about it."

Chewbacca grumbled under his breath as he began to wrap strips of her poncho around her arm, making it tight enough to control the bleeding. Not too far away from their secluded spot amongst the bushes that provided them cover, an explosion caused both of them to jump.

A wide smile stretched across Leia's face. "He did it!" She exclaimed and threw herself into Chewie's arms. The great Wookie whooped.

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The tension in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ could be cut with a dull vibroblade. The shield was still up, the Death Star was fully operational, and the Star Destroyers had joined their TIE fighters in this epic battle against their enemy. Despite the tense atmosphere, Lando's voice remained cool and controlled, but his insides felt as unstable as grelic gelatin. Han could not fail him, would not fail him, but….but there was always a chance that Han Solo's famous luck could have run out. What if Han had failed? What if he and his team were captured? Or worse; what if Han was killed? Leia and Luke were capable of carrying on the mission, but if the shield was still up.

Lando could not take the luxury of worrying about what went wrong on the Endor moon, nor should he be borrowing trouble when he was in the middle of trouble himself. That shield was still up; the rebel fleet would be destroyed. And as fast and nimble as the _Falcon_ was, it was not invincible. They had lost so many already, a couple of frigates and a handful of cruisers, and too many Starfighters. They would be wiped out. It was Lando who urged Admiral Ackbar to continue on with the battle when the Mon Calamari wanted the fleet to retreat. These deaths were on Lando's head.

Nevertheless, Lando would not let his dire musings interfere with his job, and he did not falter in leading this battle. He continued to give orders—confident and self-assured—giving no indication of his uncertainty that sat cold in the pit of his stomach. The _Falcon_ weaved and spun and slipped between Star Destroyers and TIE fighters, shooting down every enemy in his path.

And after what seemed like forever but maybe not as long as it felt, Admiral Ackbar's voice filled the _Falcon's_ cockpit. "The shield is down. Commence attack on that Death Star!"

General Calrissian gave out orders then shut down the intercom. He expelled a hearty laugh as he looked at his co-pilot, Nein Numb. "I told you they'd do it!"

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Back at the rendezvous point on the moon of Endor, Han Solo had just finished stitching up Princess Leia's wound and was now binding it with bandages. She watched his work until a bright explosion up in the sky caught her attention. Han looked up as well as whoops of victory and cheering broke out all around them. He gazed at Leia's profile and saw worried relief.

"You sure Luke was on the Death Star?" he asked as he finished bandaging her arm.

Leia nodded. "He wasn't at the bunker. Vader would've taken him to the Death Star. That's where the Emperor was."

"That doesn't mean he didn't get off that thing before it blew." Han offered her hope, but his voice lacked conviction. Vader or the Emperor could have killed Luke well before Lando and the rest of the rebels took out the Death Star.

Leia bit her lip and dropped her eyes. "I still feel him."

"That's good. He's alive."

The princess nodded again.

"So…." Han started but found he had no words. He pressed his lips together.

"There's…something I have to tell you."

"What?" Solo asked, but he knew what was coming. Leia wanted to be with Luke, not him. Luke and Leia had a closer bond than he had with her. Maybe he could never have such a close bond with her. It was not like Han had not lost a woman he loved before. Most of the time it was him walking away, but he had had his heart broken a few times before. He just had never lost a love to a close friend.

"Luke…." Leia inhaled. "He's my brother, my twin brother." She looked into Han's hazel eyes, searching for understanding.

"How…?"

"Yoda told him. And Obi Won Kenobi."

"Before the ol' man died?"

She shook her head. "Luke still….Obi Won appears…to Luke…through the Force."

The smuggler rolled his lips between his teeth. Leia braced herself for the next question, the one she was not ready to answer: who are your parents?

But Han did not ask. He knew little about his own parentage and that was not on his mind. The Force, something he did not really believe in, was something Leia believed in, more so now than before he was frozen in carbonite. That was what was on Han Solo's mind. He, himself, did not know how he felt about the Force. He had seen Luke do things that seemed impossible, and he believed Luke could communicate with Leia because of it. How else would Leia have known where Luke was on Cloud City? Chewbacca told Han about how Leia seemed as if she was in a trance. The Wookie initially thought she was in shock, that what happened to Han had finally broken her. Then Chewie related to Han how she just knew where to find Luke. They turned around and found him. Han could not deny the existence of the Force anymore, though he remained wary of it.

"How come you didn't tell me before?"

"I didn't know….not until Luke told me last night."

"He wanted to keep it a secret?"

"No." Leia sighed. "Yes. But not from you."

"You wanted to keep it from me."

The princess looked away. "I was processing it all myself. I just wasn't ready."

"Why?"

"He…there was more. I-I just wanted to forget."

Han put his forefinger under her chin and turned her head toward him. "Somethin' bad."

She kept her eyes downcast.

He dropped his finger from her chin and put his hands on his thighs. "Okay." He studied Leia's face. Whatever it was, it was worse than bad. "You know you can tell me anything….tell me when you're ready."

Leia lifted her large brown eyes and met Han's. His own eyes held concern, but his expression spoke of patience. She leaned toward him, placed her hand on the side of his face, and kissed him. He wrapped his hand around her head, pulling her closer. When they parted, Leia weaved her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Han returned her embrace, tightening his hold on her. She held him tighter in return.

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Luke Skywalker watched the flames engulf his father. No, they engulfed the shell of his father, not his true self but that of Darth Vader. Luke had laid his eyes upon his father's face for the first and last time before he barely escaped the doomed Death Star unscathed. Well, not unscathed. It wasn't the Death Star's explosion that marred him, nor was he physically maimed; emotionally, maybe even mentally he was scarred. Facing the Emperor, battling his father….their marks were forever etched inside him.

Luke watched the mask of the Alliance's enemy—once his own enemy—melt under the heat of the flames from the pyre. A grim closed-mouth smile stretched his lips. How metaphoric. Burning Darth Vader, the dark mechanical shell in which his father had been trapped for all these year, burning away the Dark Side using light. His father did not die consumed by the Dark Side, Luke reminded himself. The Jedi had saved his father, albeit too late. Luke would never know the man under the grotesque mask that had haunted his dreams for too many years—haunted Leia's dreams— who was Anakin Skywalker. Luke would never have the chance to know his true father.

And Leia would never know the good that was inside the monster who tortured her. She would never understand how the power of the Dark Side corrupts, that Luke was able to save their father from its clutches before their father died, now that their father was dead. Would Leia have accepted the man who was once Darth Vader and now Anakin Skywalker, _her_ father, had he lived? Would she ever accept him?

It felt as if a needle pricked his heart. Luke tossed the torch he used to light the pyre onto the burning flames. He could not imagine she would. Leia held such hatred toward the cyborg she only knew as Darth Vader. She did not, could not, or would not believe that there was good in him. His sister did not say so, but Luke felt it in her heart. She felt Luke was chasing ghosts, ideas…hope…when he told her he was going to seek out Vader.

Leia's hatred scared him now. Luke knew that this hatred which burned hot inside her kept her warm, drove her forward after Han had been frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader. It worried Luke then, but now it was terrifying knowing that this hatred could drive her to the Dark Side. Luke would have to train her to be a Jedi, or at least teach her how to calm her hate, to keep her safe. Leia was his only family.

No, Leia was not. Han, Chewie, Wedge, and Lando were part of his family. Even the droids. They seemed sentient to him. Luke dropped his eyes to the ground for a moment as memories of those times he was isolated from those who loved him when he had only Artoo to talk to, to keep him company. There were others in the Alliance that Luke had grown close to, the Rogue Squadron for instance, and he thought of them as his extended family.

But Leia was his only blood left, and for some reason, that blood connection was important to him. Luke always felt drawn to her and became close to her almost instantly when he opened her cell door on the first Death Star. Luke was closer to her than anyone else in the galaxy. Luke attributed this closeness to their bonding experience escaping the first Death Star. His feelings over the years—before he knew Leia was his sister—had been confusing, perplexing. Romantic but not romantic. Love but not desire. These contrasting feelings conjured up discomfort, a guilt he did not understand. Maybe it was because of Han's feelings for Leia. Luke knew the smuggler was uncertain about Luke's feelings for Leia, that Han had suppressed his jealousy over the closeness between Luke and Leia over the years but more often in recent times. Han was still trying to get a grasp on the time he had lost and how things had changed when he was gone. Nevertheless, Luke could not separate himself from Leia, though he did not want to hurt his friend. Luke _needed_ Leia, maybe as much as Han needed Leia.

Now things were clear to Luke, his feelings about Leia no longer the puzzle that he troubled himself over on long nights when he could not get her out of his mind. And Luke was right about Vader. All things were right in the world. He was triumphant, but Luke did not feel victorious. He felt lost and alone as he mourned the man who was nothing more than a monster to the rest of the galaxy. To Leia. Luke would be the only one to mourn the loss of his father, and that made him feel like the only person left in the galaxy.

As the flames died down on the pyre and the stars and formations of zooming X-Wings filled the sky that hung over the silhouette of the trees that surrounded him, Luke was, indeed, alone. It was time to rectify the situation. Luke studied the burned corpse of Darth Vader, the melted and twisted mask, one last time before beginning his journey to the Ewok village where he knew his friends, his sister, would be.


	17. Chapter 17

EPILOGUE:

Princess Leia Organa stood next to Han Solo and tried to enjoy the festivities. The Rogue Squadron, Lando, and others who helped destroy the second Death Star had returned from their mission, but Luke had not. She hugged and congratulated her friends, and none would have expected that she was not as carefree and joyful as everyone else who was enjoying the bash the Ewoks were hosting.

Han knew, though, but Leia tried to hide her uneasiness from him as well. She did not want to bring him down or take away from his victory. But she knew Han knew. He had long ago seen through Leia's political face, the one she had worn from the time she entered the senate. Han always had a way to see under her mask; he was always able to break through her façade. He was the only one who had taken the time to break through her shell. He saw who really saw who she was.

Luke could see through her face of bravado; he, too, could detect the pain underneath her smile. But Leia felt that was more intuition on Luke's part rather than digging beneath her façade like Han did. Luke seemed to do that from the moment they met. It was eerie at the time, but also comforting. She did not feel like she had to be someone else around him. Leia thought their connection stemmed from their experience on the Death Star when he and Han rescued her and the fact that she and Luke both lost their entire worlds—him figuratively, she literally. But it was more than that, and now she understood why. Luke, her twin brother, well there was always that connection. It all made sense now.

Where was he? He should have returned by now.

Leia tried to keep herself busy, lingering as she greeted those who had returned from their "adventure", if facing down a functional Death Star and most of the Empire's fleet could be called an adventure. She smiled to herself. Lando saw it that way. Leia could not help but be delighted by Lando's smile and enthusiasm as she watched the newly-appointed General tell Chewie about how he blew up the Death Star, hand gestures included.

Han watched Leia out of the corner of his eye as he congratulated Wedge, Lando, and others. He allowed her space, but he did not stray far from her. Han knew Luke weighed on her mind, and he had to admit that he was could not help but worry himself. Why had he not returned yet?

Solo contemplated his friendship with Jedi who was once just a bright-eyed kid anxious for adventure. Han had expected that he would just drop the old man and Luke off on Alderaan and his life as a smuggler would continue on. Han was handsomely rewarded for rescuing the princess, giving him enough credits to get Jabba the Hutt off of his back. But something stopped Han from leaving right away: Luke and the thought of him attacking the Death Star in a small X-Wing. Han had thought the rebels' plan of attack was overly simplified, and it was. All but two returned from that mission, Luke and Wedge Antilles. And Luke would not have returned if it was not for Han. No, Han could not leave that kid who had no experience in space dogfights to die.

The Alliance was a good place to hide out from Jabba, but Han did not stay for this reason. Han liked Luke (and Leia as well—well, more than liked); the kid's idealism was attractive. It was something Han never experienced in his life, even as a young boy. And Luke was an honest and loyal friend. He could not say that for most people in his life. And Luke cared about Han. How many times had the kid gotten Han out of a jam?

Han's mind traveled to his rescue from Jabba the Hutt. Luke proved to no longer be a kid. Luke was the one who came up with the plan to rescue him. They were outnumbered, had no weapons, and were at the mercy of Jabba who was anything but merciful. Yet, Luke managed to pull off the impossible.

And after, Han noticed the shadows in Luke's blue eyes. There was a maturity and sadness about Luke so unlike the naïve, idealistic kid Han had known when their friendship was just developing. Luke was patient, calm, and in control of his emotions. Han assumed Luke's first face off with Vader on Bespin had caused this change in Luke; maybe it was Luke's transformation into a Jedi. No, it was something more. Perhaps it had something to do with what Leia was not telling Han.

Leia. Han ran his hand down her arm until he reached her fingers and gave her hand a small squeeze. She was the best thing to come out of his entanglement with Luke and the old man.

How Han's life had changed. He committed to the Alliance and was promoted to general—him, the former smuggler the High Command was wary of—and was trusted to lead the most dangerous part of the Alliance's plan to destroy the Death Star. All those people depending on _him_ and trusting that _he_ would be successful. Han once thought his embroilment with the Alliance—the rebellion he did not believe, in let alone expected it to succeed—would have been a short one. It was a good place to hide from Jabba the Hutt. Until the incident on Ord Mantel where Leia had almost lost her life because of him.

 _Leia._ Just like Luke, had stayed with the Alliance for her, maybe more so than Luke. He not only stayed with the Alliance but took part in missions (mostly ones that she was on to make sure her recklessness would not get her killed) and smuggling jobs for her. He had to admit that the not-so-royal princess had captured his attention the first time she spoke.

 _Looks like you managed to cut off the only escape route._

Han smiled at the memory. And then the way Leia took control of Luke's rifle and blasted the grate covering the garbage compactor, so quick-on-her feet. Of course, it almost got them killed, but they really did not have any options. Leia, a princess who broke all stereotypes Han ever had about royalty, bossed him around and called Chewie a "walking carpet". He had never known anyone who was not intimidated by his Wookie friend. It was the moment Leia sparked a flame in his heart.

And Han almost walked away from that.

But Han did not, and he won her heart (although he suspected that he had stolen her heart long before she was willing to admit it). Leia accepted _him_ , fell in love with _him_ , a low-life smuggler with questionable morals. He never expected to fall in love with her, not like he had. Leia made him want to be a better man. Could he be? She did make him better. Unlike Luke, Leia had not lost her idealism, and her strong belief that she could change the galaxy for the better rubbed off on Han. He could not imagine life without her.

And now Han had friends who wanted nothing from him, friends he could trust. Joining the rebel Alliance, Han still lived on the edge, but now he lived with purpose.

How his life had changed.

A familiar voice called out to Han and Leia and he released her from his arms. Leia opened her arms, rushed to Luke, enveloped him in her arms, and rested her chin on his shoulder. Luke smelled of smoke, but underneath the smoky smell was his familiar scent, and Leia inhaled him.

When Leia released him, let him slip out of her arms, Luke moved to greet Han. Luke held out his hand to Han. Luke's expression was that of uncertainty. Did Leia tell Han about his conversation with her in the Ewok village? If she did, how much did she tell him? How did Han take the news?

Without hesitation, Han grabbed Luke's hand and drew Luke into an embrace before pulling back to look into his friend's face. Luke looked fatigued, age, and his blue eyes still housed sadness, more than before. It was like Leia's eyes, but she only held a shadow of what was troubling Luke.

"Crazy stunt you pulled, going off to face Vader."

"I had to."

"I'm just glad you made it back in one piece."

Luke nodded and smiled. It was a heavy, tired but open smile. Luke excused himself on the pretense that he wanted to congratulate Wedge, leaving Han and Leia to enjoy the celebration.

Leia's eyes fell to the bonfire in the middle of the celebration. Luke survived, Han was with her, and the Alliance was triumphant. At least in this battle. The Emperor was dead. Darth Vader—a chill ran down her spine and her stomach spun—was dead now. Despite this huge victory the Alliance pulled off, there was still a vast Empire out there with people who believed that the galaxy would be better off with one ruling force that kept planets in their place, that the one authoritative ruling party would be the only way to keep the peace. There would be Imperials clamoring to take the place of the Emperor. If the Alliance failed to win victories over the remaining factions of the Empire, or if the planetary populations in the galaxy failed to rise up and join the Alliance's fight—worse if the Alliance overthrew the Empire only to find themselves with an incapable government that was unable to restore the Republic—this victory would be just another battle in a never-ending war.

Leia shook those thoughts out of her head. Now was not the time to contemplate the uncertain. It was time to celebrate. The Alliance lost a lot of good men in the battle against the Death Star as well as here on Endor, but her friends had survived. Her brother had survived. Now that she had time to breathe, Leia was able to absorb the conversation she had with Luke that night in the Ewok village before he left her. Luke was a Jedi; he had powers she did not really comprehend. Her fa—no, she was not ready to think of Darth Vader as her father. Vader had those powers as well. Did that mean that she them as well? What if she did? What did that mean?

Leia shuddered. She looked up at Han. He leaned down and kissed her, warming her. All those years wasted repelling Han she regretted, but she could not have been different. Leia had just lost her entire world, and she could not imagine losing anyone else. Han did not plan on sticking around, as he had repeatedly told her before he was frozen in carbonite. But Han did stick around; he was here with her, a general now committed to the Alliance, committed to her. For how long?

Leia wore a smile, but her thoughts caused her turmoil inside. She knew it was not easy for Han to commit to the Alliance; she knew he did it for her. But the freedom of open space, of being a smuggler who answered to no one was in his blood. It was the only life he knew. Could he change his lifestyle for her? Compromise his true self for her?

Leia loved him whole-heartedly. She could not imagine her life without him. But she herself was committed to seeing this fight to free the galaxy from the grip of the Empire until the end like her father intended. Could Leia abandon all that she believed in for him? Running away with him, running from her responsibilities and the heaviness of war seemed appealing, but it was not in her nature to abandon her responsibilities to the Alliance. Their lives were so opposite. The freedom they desired had different definitions. How long could he stay with her?

The thought turned Leia's stomach, but why was she borrowing trouble? Han was _here_ with _her_ because he loved her. She would appreciate, relish, and love him until he could no longer stay with her— _if_ not when—he decided to leave her. Leia would always love him no matter what; she knew that much was true.

As if Han read her mind, he gathered her up in his arms and held her close. Leia closed his eyes, her cheek resting upon his chest, and absorbed his love. Han closed his eyes, too, and rested his head upon hers. This moment could not be more perfect, and they both dismissed the forces in the universe that could tear them apart. All that mattered in this moment were each other together the way they should be.

Han tightened his hold on her; he wanted to feel her, to remind him that she was real, to reassure himself that the last few years, his life now, were not just a dream.

Luke wandered away from the celebration. They were celebrating the destruction of the Death Star, the death of the Emperor. The death of Darth Vader. No one would know how the Sith Lord renounced the Dark Side and saved Luke's life. No one would know that Vader died with good in his heart.

Leia would. Luke would tell her when things quieted down. Of course, she would ask him about his ordeal on the Death Star. And Luke wanted to tell her; he wanted her to understand the change that took place in Vader before he died. But Luke had little hope that Leia would be able to get beyond her prejudices and accept that there was good in that monstrous shell that encased their father who tortured her and had Han frozen in carbonite. Leia would be grateful that their father saved Luke, but Luke doubted that would be enough for her to let go of her hate and anger.

 _Tell your sister you were right._ Their father's last words. Maybe in time she would accept her parentage. All it would take is time, Luke believed. Leia had to let go of her hate and anger. Those feelings made her dangerous. Would she understand that?

A shimmery image of Yoda and Ben appeared before him. Luke rested his arm on the tree trunk next to him and took in the sight of his mentors. And then, to his surprise, his father materialized not as Darth Vader but as his true fully human self. The sadness in Luke's blue eyes faded, and he smiled at the image of his father.

Han glanced over at Luke, noticing for the first time how his friend had separated himself from the celebration. Han frowned before he pointed out Luke to Leia. She left Han's side and approached Luke from behind, placing her hands on his shoulder and giving him a brief hug. Luke turned his head to her, and Leia's smile widened at the sight of Luke's untroubled smile. Leia pulled Luke back into the celebrating rebels and Ewoks, pulled him back into their circle of friends, Han, Chewie, and Lando. Even the droids. They were all together. Who knows for how long, or what trials faced them in the future, they were together now and that was all that mattered.

The End


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